Archana Asthana
Shakespeare’s forte rests on themes of romantic comedy, where missteps and mistaken identities abound, but love prevails in the end. “Twelfth Night”, the Bard’s play which mimics the historical tradition of mixing up social orders and suspending societal class boundaries, allows for some humorous moments between star crossed lovers and would-be lovers. Presented by SPARC Theater (Shakespeare and Performing Arts Regional Company), multiple shows set amidst the scenic Darcie Kent Vineyards in Livermore run throughout the month of July (5th-28th). Founding Artistic Director and Founder of the Company, Lisa Tromovitch, also the producer/director of this play, shared a few thoughts on the name change and rebranding of the company from Livermore Shakespeare Festival. She believes, the new name allows for more inclusivity and representation of the surrounding communities of Danville, in addition to staging at the Livermore’s vineyards; as well as showcase other theatrical modalities such as play readings and workshops in after school programs. Indeed, the current production is put together with a lot of passion where professional artists create a high quality, live theater community event.
Jennifer le Blanc adapted the play for a modern audience and set it in the Post American Civil War, 1860 in a Northern community. Tromovich connected a few dots in the play to explain this thinking: Olivia, the countess mourns the death of her father and brother; her cousin, Sir Toby is prone to heavy drinking; and the zeal of Duke Orsino to make marriage his mission at his advanced age may all point to aftermaths of a war. Other adaptations include a small cast of eight, where most play more than one character, two of whom play both male and female roles; dialogues from characters that do not appear to those on stage. The end result was tight and seamless without compromising the complexity of the story or truncating key junctures that helped stitch the sequence effortlessly.
Each actor is superbly cast in their role(s), from the multi-talented Matthew Ballin (playing Feste and the ship’s captain), tasked with the live musical component and skilled in playing the guitar, mouth organ, drums as well as melodic singing. Elena Wright is stellar in her role as the Countess Olivia and Sir Andrew. Li-Leng Au, likewise, can switch between a scheming lady’s maid to a surprised male lover. Cassidy Brown dominates as the gullible Malvolio and the Duke. Laura Domingo enchants as the shipwrecked Viola, who, disguised as Cesario is sent as the Duke’s emissary to impresses Olivia, who is bewitched by the disguise and falls in love, initiating the love triangle. Viola, however, finds herself romantically inclined towards the Duke. The triangulation is complete when Sebastian, Viola’s twin, believed to be lost at sea, surfaces in the same town, causing further amusement and confusion with mistaking identities with the disguised Cesario, and ends up marrying Olivia.
Kinesthetic humor, funny dialogues and love triangles create pathos and mirth, in turn until the arrival of the ship’s captain resolves the mystery of the separated twins, leading to revealing of authentic selves and declaration of true love. All couples are united, and harmony restored in true Shakespearean comedic style.
Photos – SPARC Theater
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