Twelfth Night at Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park opened Thursday evening in their intimate black box space to the lilt of the guitar played by Tyler Malinauskas as he led the company in a song with the feel of a sea shanty. As Feste, Malinauskas was our bard for the evening, playing an assortment of instruments, carrying the audience through the humor, light, and sorrow of William Shakespeare's "funniest play". With unit set of garden gates, a centrally located divan and the full use of the entire house, director Kathryn McGill envelopes the audience in the story.
We open the action of the play with a funeral dirge, sung by Lindsey Rollins as Maria, and commented on by Duke Orsino, played with remarkable wit by Justin Marlow, a current staple of the OSP stage. He is met by his attendant, played by Joshua Murray, who tells him of the object of his love and her refusal to entertain his facies so close to the death of her brother.
Bell Reeves as Viola enters to the sound of crashing waves, in her torn "maiden's weeds", saved from the surf by a Sea Captain, played by Malinauskas. She resolves to forgo her high birth to work for the Duke Orsino, disguised as a young man. Reeves was recently seen in OSP's production of Romeo and Juliet. I find her very well suited to the task of a pants role, her love of the language is palpable and the cut of her jaw lends itself to the breeches and vest expertly costumed by Lloyd Cracknell.
We are then introduced to the members of the household of Countess Olivia. Sir Toby Belch, the drunken uncle to the countess, is fully inhabited in speech and physical manner by David Webber. He plays with the audience to a remarkable degree with a sense of ease and childlike wonder that can only be achieved by a person with complete confidence in their abilities. He exchanges a witty repartee with Maria, the housemaid, about the lateness of the hour and his state of drunkenness. He then is met by Sir Andrew, a young potential suitor to the lady Olivia, who commands a heavy purse, but not an extraordinary amount of intellect. Sir Andrew is played with boyish charm by one Dillion Rasberry, and continually is made the butt of the joke by his lack of wit.
We are treated to the first interaction between Duke Orsino and the disguised Viola, under the presumed name of Cesario. He encourages Cesario to plead his suit to the Countess Olivia, and to not take no for an answer. Viola exclaims in a brief aside that she would rather marry the Duke, but will woo for him.
Malinauskas then enters in his full embodiment of Feste, Olivia's fool. He meets Maria's scolding of this lateness with wit and gallows humor. Jacey Nichole enters as Olivia in her mourning attire, dismissing him. He calls her Madonna as they exchange words on who is the fool, and rightly so. Nichole has an elegance and grace to her that is even more charming as we see it unravel in the presence of Viola as Cesario.
Similarly Malvolio, portrayed by Wil Rogers, another actor with no shortage of credits at OSP, presents as the tight-laced steward to Olivia. This is brought out to a hilarious extent by the jest hatched up by Maria, Sir Toby, and Sir Andrew later in the piece. Rogers is another actor so comfortable in his element that his use of the intimate space and proximity to the audience brings out the humor and playfulness of the play.
This production of Twelfth Night is not for those who aren't ready for a little audience interaction. The two signature cocktails may soon grace the boards if you are not carful. The actors make use of every inch of the playing space. Notably, in Act 2 Scene 5, Duke Orsino and Viola as Cesario exchange intimate thoughts on the ways men and women love. With breathtaking intimacy coordination by Bell Reeves the dance between the two comes remarkably close to revealing Viola's true feeling for the Duke.
There is not a weak link in the bunch of these talented artists. Joshua Murray, recently seen as the Bard himself in OSP's production of Shakespeare in Love, plays a variety of characters throughout the lark. Most notably Antonio, friend to Sebastian, played by Paxton Kliewer. The bond these two men display is nothing short of the love that is felt between brothers.
What a way to go out on a 40 year career as Artistic and Executive Director for Kathryn McGill. OSP's next event will be the 40th Anniversary Party on June 1st. From their website:
"Help us honor Kathryn at this special once-in-a-lifetime event, including special performances from OSP alumni, and a buffet dinner in our beautiful Shakespeare Gardens."
You can purchase season tickets to Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park at their website https://www.okshakes.org/buy-tickets
Twelfth Night runs through March 10th. You can access the full program and company bios at https://www.okshakes.org/twelfth-night-program
By: Anna Steele