Twelfth Night (or, "What you Will") at the Paper Wing Theatre Company.
This show is funny!
That’s it, the beginning, middle, and end of the “review” of this show. It’s funny. I’m done.
Not
enough? Did you not notice the exclamation point at the end of the
sentence that encapsulated my sum total thoughts regarding the show?
You, dear faceless reader, are a demanding little snot-muffin. I tell
you the show is funny and you want more. You expect more. You demand
more. Very well-
This show is VERY funny!
There. Are you happy now?
Oh,
you’re not. I’m sorry, I thought that would settle the matter. But I
suppose you want to read a little more, something a bit more in depth,
and that’s where I’m going to have to grind through the muddled thoughts
in my holiday soaked skull to find a way to express the pure comedy
that is 12th Night at the Paper Wing Theatre. I suppose it
starts with the direction from Jody Gilmore, one of the most gifted
comedians here on the Central Coast. This is a dream project for the man
and I expected nothing short of comedic brilliance and yet he still
managed to exceed my high pedestal expectations. As a fan and student
of classic comedy, Gilmore pulled out all the stops to bring Shakespeare
to a contemporary audience who may not have all the patience in the
world for “thee” and “thou”- Gilmore succeeds in making the show
accessible to any age. He incorporates tried and true physical comedy
and characters to tell a story that is hundreds of years old.
Acting?
I’m not really sure I saw a lot of that Shakespeare-type prancing on
the stage this past weekend- I saw characters. I almost immediately
started to love these characters and these personas and that’s so much
better than simple “acting”. I became a fly on the wall for some of the
funniest performances I’ve ever seen- Penelope Morgan is our “every-man”
central character to the plot; Viola. Her brother’s died in a recent
boat wreck and the woman is alone in the world, left to make her own
way. She dons a man’s guise and finds employment with the pining Duke of
Illiria, Orsino. Our Duke is head over heels in LOVE with- well, he’s
definitely in love. He’s so absolutely devastated by the impact of that
LOVE, he’s left to wander in a robe and lament the lack of reciprocation
for his great and heedless LOVE. Christopher Sullenger is hilarious as
the pining Orsino as he laments the need to share the full boundless
passion of his love. And the object of his passion? Mindy Whitfield’s
“Olivia” isn’t in love- she’s in mourning. Oh, yes- her dearest brother
has passed to the next world and Olivia will see no light in her misery.
Others seek her hand in marriage- but she has no time for any of that
nonsense, nothing should interfere with her mourning. At least until the
Duke’s latest envoy seems a little too dismissive of her renowned
beauty- and then Olivia’s own interest is piqued. Whitfield is both
beautiful and charmingly spoiled as she desperately seeks to gain the
attention of the one man in all the island who isn’t totally enamored
with her- and the love triangle is further complicated when Viola’s twin
brother; Sebastian (Eric James Morton) is revealed to have not drowned
in that shipwreck.
And
then there’s the “other” story- Olivia’s Uncle is a mooching drunken
lecher named Toby Belch (Patrick Golden). His best friend and drinking
partner is one of Olivia’s many suitors; a bumbling fool with a thick
purse by the name of Sir Andrew Aguecheek (Nicholas Kelley). The two are
joined in their jolly romps by one of Olivia’s other servants, Fabian
(Allison Smith). And the three rapscallions are opposed by the
oppressively proper Steward, Malvolio (Jay Devine). When the
group are confronted after a particularly rowdy night, Belch declares
vengeance on Malvolio and it’s the Lady’s own Maid, Maria (Beverly Van
Pelt) who concocts the device by which the others will have their
revenge. And let me be as clear as I can- this whole story could stand
on its own as a play in and of itself! This is Shakespeare as played by
the Marx Brothers with a little Burns and Allen on the side.
Round
out the cast with the Dukes’ men, (Adam Kinkade and (on this night)
Jody Gilmore) who are left with the responsibility of apprehending known
pirate and fugitive, Antonio (Played by Ralph Cordoza). Antonio has his
own stake in events because he’s the man responsible for saving
Sebastian- and in bestowing great affection on the man, the pirate puts
himself at risk.
And
twining her way between both stories is the ever present tramp of a
jester, Feste. I mean “tramp” in the comical sense with a nod of respect
to Charlie Chaplin and other great comedic performances through the
years. Jourdain Barton struts around the stage with quips, one-liners,
scathing criticism of the people around her, a hand out for coin, a nose
up to arrogance, and she is constantly speaking truth to power. She
challenges with a jest- the mourning, the LOVE, the stodginess, the
drunkenness, the cowardice, and the rest of the world surrounding her
straight up to the closing moments of the production. As an admitted fan
of Barton’s previous work as an actress and a director, I’m not going
to make any secret of saying that this may be my favorite onstage
performance from the young woman and I absolutely wish I had a second
set of legs upon which I could stand and applaud.
But
the thing is- I was already standing. I was already applauding. Because
the moment the first person came out for their bow, I was up on my
feet. This cast deserved an eruption from the audience in attendance I
did my best to give it to them for the joy they gave to me. I was
enthralled from beginning to end, I was laughing, I was filled with joy,
and this show made me feel some genuine happiness in a season filled
with great highs and great lows.
I
can’t tell you any more without heading into big time spoiler material-
these are performances that should be seen, appreciated, and
encouraged. This is a great show and a great holiday closer for the
Paper Wing Theatre.
This show is funny!
5 out of 5.
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