Copious amounts of alcohol, neon colors and risqué topics influenced the Shakespeare Club’s rendition of “Twelfth Night” May 5 to 7.
Seniors Michael Nguyen-Mason and Alex Xourias, directors of the show, had planned their different take on “Twelfth Night” for two years, but waited until their senior year so they could direct it.
Nguyen-Mason and Xourias set the production during the nineteenth-century French Bohemian Revolution, rather than the play’s original fifteenth-century setting.
Many characters switched roles from male to female in this production. Toby Belch, the perpetually drunk uncle, was changed to Tabitha, played by junior Simone Levine.
“No one’s ever seen a version with a female Toby,” Levine said. “Instead of the uncle, she’s the strange younger cousin who’s kind of leeched onto Maria.”
The new interpretation was very clever and fresh, said junior Joe Lilek, who played Sir Andrew.
“I had a lot of liberty with my character,” Lilek said. “It was just a different version.”
Mrs. Crewdson • May 9, 2011 at 12:58 pm
The production was outstanding in every way–conception, acting, costumes, music. Congratulations to Michael, Alex and the rest of the cast. I had so much fun and was SO impressed!