Twelfth Night, or What You Will, one of several Shakespeare comedies revolving around deceptive gender and mistaken identity, was originally produced in the early 1600s as part of the post-Christmas revel called, unsurprisingly, Twelfth Night.

In the hands of the Rude Mechanicals, known since 1999 for their contemporary interpretations of the Bard, the play is transported to the 1980s, where gender identity becomes an open question and the excesses of the Rich and Famous are legion.

(photo by Kevin Hollenbeck) The audience, welcomed to “tonight’s concert,” Illyria-aid, is thrust headlong into the post-psychedelic rock music world of neon and metal as Duke Orsino (Donald Cook), now a rock star, launches into his melancholy anthem “If music be the food of love, play on,” as he pines for the mourning Olivia (Lauren Beward).

This intentional diversion, courtesy of director Maureen Shanahan, takes us into the ambiguous, sometimes asexual world of rock music, where gender and sexuality are already questionable, a context not unlike Shakespeare’s theatre, where men always played women because the law kept women off the stage.

Rarely do casts who have taken on the immortal Bard have so much fun with his material. Even if the performances are sometimes uneven, the Rudes have a talent for cutting away the excess, making even the thickest text accessible to modern ears.

As a rule, directors expect their audiences to suspend disbelief, and this production is no exception. In Katie Wanschura’s hands, Feste (traditionally Olivia’s jester) becomes a Cyndi Lauperesque songwriter who just wants to have fun. She leads Olivia’s merry band of fools: Sir Toby (Joe Dziekiewicz) and Sir Andrew (Joel Lorenzetti), rowdy members of Olivia’s entourage; Maria (Erica Smith), Olivia’s mohawk-crested friend; and Fabian (Josh Engel), as they take on Malvolio (Liz Armour), Olivia’s uptight and potentially malevolent band manager for a night of not-quite-harmless alcohol-driven sport.

Into this world, Viola (Tory Talbot Virchow) enters as a survivor of a road bus accident in which she believes she has lost her twin brother and fellow rock star, Sebastian. Determined to survive, Viola assumes Sebastian’s form, though not his name, and takes on a new role (in disguise) as Cesario, Orsino’s servant. Meanwhile, Olivia (Lauren Beward as a vapid and shallow stage diva), becomes struck on Cesario as s(he) works to woo Olivia on behalf of Orsino, even as the disguised Viola dotes in private on her Duke. The decidedly not-dead Sebastian (Amy Rauch) meets Antonio (Joe Kubinski), who takes the boy under his dubious wing, not far from the festival site. It doesn’t take long for the pair to drift into the vicinity, with confusing and hilarious results.

Talbot Virchow and Rauch make an excellent match in the twins who can hardly be told apart, especially when wearing the same costume.

With an imaginative use of props (the trees become stacks of roadcases, Sir Andrew’s sword a pair of drumsticks, and his duel with the hapless Cesario a battle of voices – complete with microphones), wildly topical costumes and make-up, there’s no lack of enthusiasm in this production.

The rock festival conceit mostly works, though a little unevenly. Then again, having witnessed the difference between music video perfection and actual stage performance, there is something to be said for the less-than-perfect. Some of the most entertaining asides and biggest laughs were derived from the “concert festival” setting.

Though the events of Twelfth Night occur during a midsummer’s eve, the play contains all the conceits of an Elizabethan Twelfth Night‘s revels, including role reversals and upside down events, together with the Rudes’ definitely offbeat stamp.

In all, an amusing evening, and generally decent entertainment for kids ages 8 and up.

Director’s Notes

At the core of Twelfth Night is the idea that music is the pathway to our souls. The play itself is peppered with songs (not to mention the ones we threw in for fun), and when thinking about how to make Twelfth Night relateable [sic] to a modern audience, a music festival seemed like the natural choice to make.

Most of the characters of Twelfth Night are motivated through their societal status and, in present-day United States, societal status is not usually something that will prevent marriage. However, when taken in context of the play when it was written, the lifting of Orsino’s obsession with Olivia when Viola reveals her identity makes more sense; he’s still marrying an equal. So, combined with Twelfth Night‘s musical heart-beat, it made sense to make them all stars in the music industry. Rock stars dating other rock stars is common, but dating assistants is fuel for scorn.

After that, the rest of the characters fell into place. Good Samaritans became Obsessive Fans, Ship Captains who carry news from port to port became Groupies, members of the court became Members of the Band, the Fool/Wordsmith became the Songwriter and the Steward becomes the Band Manager. I believe this setting helps to translate to a modern audience where the power lies and why the relationships grow they way they do in the original text.

The last thing to address is the choice to cast the traditionally male role of Malvolio as a woman. The 1980s were a tumultuous time for the homosexual community, where homosexual orientation was still viewed by many as a mental illness and, with the discovery and rise of AIDS, became a topic that was focused on publicly for the first time. I saw a connection between the class-based disdain for Malvolio in the play, and the discomfort people showed for alternative sexualities even 30 years ago, and wanted to see where the context of the play would lead us with casting in that direction.

Synopsis

At the Illyrian Music Festival, Orsino is heartsick for Olivia, who is in mourning and refuses to see anybody. Orsino sings broken-hearted love songs, assisted by his backup singer/dancer Curio.

The tour bus carrying Viola and Sebastian, a twin brother-sister act, crashes. Viola survives, and in her grief at the loss of her brother disguises herself as a boy named Cesario. She joins Orsino as a servant, but finds herself attracted to him.

Orsino sends her to woo Olivia in his stead, who finds herself more attracted to the boy than to the man. She turns Viola away, but then sends her uptight band manager Malvolio after “him” with a ring. The love triangle is complete: Orsino loves Olivia, who loves Viola/Cesario, who loves Orsino.

Olivia’s group is a rowdy bunch: her uncle and hanger-on Toby Belch, her drummer Andrew Aguecheek, her friend Maria, and the songwriter Feste, who party all night and sleep all day. The uptight Malvolio chews them out.

They devise a plot against Malvolio: they forge a love letter from Olivia to Malvolio and leave it where it can be found. The forgery claims Olivia wants to see Malvolio dress up silly, and when she does so, Oliva rebuffs her. She thinks Malvolio’s odd behavior is a sign of impending insanity. Malvolio is locked up, and further tormented by Feste and Toby.

Meanwhile Viola’s brother Sebastian has survived the crash, unknown to Viola. He wanders toward the festival. He is followed by his friend Antonio, who must take care as he has previously fought with Orsino.

Andrew is also in love with Olivia, and Toby pranks both him and Viola. He tells each the other wants to fight. Reluctantly, they do. It’s interrupted by Antonio, who mistakes Viola for Sebastian, and Antonio is hauled away.

They then meet the real Sebastian. They are perplexed, but figuring him to be a pushover, they challenge him (again, they think). They are promptly bested, and run away.

Sebastian encounters Olivia, who mistakes him for Cesario. Sebastian is surprised by the sudden attention and affection, but is swiftly wooed, and run off to a priest to be married.

Olivia and Orsino finally meet, and the plots unravel. Olivia, believing Viola is Sebastian, calls her “husband”. Andrew and Toby, also believing Viola to be Sebastian, accuse her of beating them up. Feste brings a letter from Malvolio to Olivia, which is angry but clearly sane. Malvolio shows the letter that she received, and Olivia recognizes that the hand is not her own. The plots are confessed, confusions are cleared up, and everybody lives happily ever after.

Cast

• Antonio: Joe Kubinski
• Curio/Valentine: Marcia Litt
• Fabian/Roadie #1: Josh Engel
• Feste: Katie Wanschura
• Maria: Erica Smith
• Malvolio: Liz Armour
• Olivia: Lauren Beward
• Orsino: Don Cook
• Priest/Groupie: Moira Parham
• Roadie #2/Security: Elise Berg/Maureen Shanahan
• Sea Captain/Groupie: Kevin Hollenbeck
• Sebastian: Amy Rauch
• Sir Andrew: Joel Lorenzetti
• Sir Toby: Joe Dzikiewicz
• Viola (aka Cesario): Tory Talbot Virchow

Production Staff

• ASM: Liana Olear
• Asst. Director: Sean Eustis
• Asst. Producer: Rebecca Hranj
• Box Office: Caitlin Williams
• Director: Maureen Shanahan
• Lights: Irene Sitoski
• Make-Up Design: Irene Sitoski
• Music Director: Katie Wanschura
• Set Design: Mel Bratz
• Stage Manager: Nell Codner-Jarashow
• Paint Charge: Adrienne Gammons
• Photography: Rebecca Hranj/Kevin Hollenbeck
• Producer: Josh Engel
• Props: Moira Parham
• Publicity: Rebecca Hranj
• Sets and Paint: Alan and Steven Duda, Moira Parham, Adrienne Gammons, Don
• Cook, Sean Eustis, Josh Engel, Elise Berg, Nell Codner-Jarashow, Maureen
• Shanahan, Katie Wanschura, Joel Lorenzetti, Amy Davis
• Costumes: The Cast and production staff
• Lights: Irene Sitoski, Josh Engel, Sean Eustis
• Sound: Katie Wanschura, Rob Perkins, Sean Eustis, Don Cook
• Props: Moira Parham, the cast, and production staff

Disclaimer: Rude Mechanicals provided two complimentary media tickets to ShowBizRadio for this review.

It might be the first taste of fall outside but baby it’s hot inside Toby’s. Chicago sizzles with all the razzle dazzle you’ve come to expect from both Fosse musicals and Toby’s Dinner Theatre productions. Billed as “A nightclub dancer…a smooth talking lawyer…and a cell block of sin. It would be a crime to miss it,” Chicago: A Musical Vaudeville (book by Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse, music by John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb), opened on Broadway in 1975 and ran for a little over two years. Both the original production and a pared down 1996 concert revival were nominated for (but did not receive) Tony awards. The story is based on the 1926 play Chicago by Maurine Dallas Watkins, but the Brechtian style (stark and detached) is more in line with today’s sensationalism and tabloids.

Co-directors Toby Orenstein and multi-talented Lawrence B. Munsey (co-director, costume designer and star, playing a multitude of roles) lead us through the sordid stories of Velma Kelly, Roxie Hart and their Chicago cohorts of seemingly soulless murderesses put glitz and glamour ahead of morals as they attempt to defend their fatally flawed relationships. Chicago starts off with a bang and never lets up. Chicago remains a musical revue, with all the parts introduced by Munsey in his various forms. We’re never far from the razor-sharp edge between performer and performance. Reality isn’t the point here. It’s all about fame and facade. David A Hopkins has provided a clean, simple cell block set as a backdrop for Ilona Kessell’s Fosse-esque choreography, keeping all the flash in Munsey’s fabulous costumes and Lynn Joslin’s evocative lighting.

From the moment we meet steaming hot Velma Kelly (Debra Buonaccorsi) in “All That Jazz” and ditsy vaudeville star-wannabe Roxie Hart (Carole Graham Lehan) and her simple, adoring husband Amos (David James) in “Funny Honey,” to the last spectacular number, “Nowadays,” we’re immersed in the decadence and excess of the roaring twenties. We meet the rest of the cell block residents in “Cell Block Tango,” a number just dripping with fringe benefits.

Matron Mama Morton (Jesaira Glover) makes a stunning entrance with “When You’re Good to Mama” and proves instrumental in connecting naive Roxie with slick legal-eagle Billy Flynn (Jeffrey Shankle) who develops their defense plan in “We Both Reached For The Gun.” By the time we get to “Roxie,” Lehan is channeling Cyd Charisse (aided by Munsey’s excellent costume choices). In stark contrast, James’ rendition of “Mister Cellophane” is understated, exquisitely timed and brilliant and Chris Rudy’s “Mary Sunshine” is quite simply hilarious.

It’s a grand night out, though one not really meant for young children.

Cast

• The Master of Ceremonies: Lawrence B. Munsey
• Velma Kelly: Debra Buonaccorsi
• Roxie Hart: Carole Graham Lehan
• Fred Casely: Lawrence B. Munsey
• Sergeant Fogarty: David Jennings
• Amos Hart: David James
• Liz: Heather Marie Beck
• Annie: Tina Marie DeSimone
• June: Katie Harrington
• Hunyak: Christen Svingos
• Mona: Ali Hoxie
• Martin Harrison: Ryan Patrick Welsh
• Matron: Jesaira Glover
• Billy Flynn: Jeffrey Shankle
• Mary Sunshine: Chris Rudy
• Go-to-Hell Kitty: Arielle Gordon
• Harry: Lawrence B. Munsey
• Aaron: Gabe Veneziano
• Court Clerk: Cody Cooley
• The Foreman: Lawrence B. Munsey
• Reporter: Derek Tatum
• Swing: Kate Arnold Wernick
• Understudies: Heather Marie Beck (Roxie), Ali Hoxie (Velma), Nancy
• Tarr Hart (Mama Morton), Thomas Hedgpeth (Billy & Amos), David
• Jennings (Master of Ceremonies), Ryan Patrick Welsh (Mary Sunshine)

Orchestra

• Conductor/Keyboard: Christopher Youstra, Ross Rawlings or Doug Lawler
• Violin: Patricia Wnek
• Reeds/Woodwinds: Katie Kellert, Steve Haaser or Stacey Antoine
• Trumpet: Tony Neenan or Craig Taylor
• Trombone: Jay Ellis, Griz Gifford or Dan Pendley
• Drums/Percussion: Aaron Holmes, Anders Eliasson or Jack Loercher

Production Staff

• Co-Directors: Toby Orenstein & Lawrence B. Munsey
• Musical Director: Christopher Youstra
• Choreographer: Ilona Kessell
• Set Designer: David A. Hopkins
• Costume Designer: Lawrence B. Munsey
• Lighting Designer: Lynn Joslin
• Sound Designer: Drew Dedrick
• Production Manager: Vickie S. Johnson
• Production Stage Manager: Kate Wackerle
• Stage Managers: Drew Dedrick, Kate Wackerle
• Technical Director: Jimmy Engelkemier
• Master Carpenter: David A. Hopkins
• Set Construction: Corey Brown, David A. Hopkins, Russell Sunday
• Properties & Set Dressing: Amy Kaplan
• Light Board Operators: Coleen M. Foley, Erin MacDonald, Cheryl Hale
• Sound Operators: Drew Dedrick, Jimmy Engelkemier
• Stage Crew: Erin MacDonald, Ashley Grant, Jason Britt

Theatre Staff

• Artistic Director: Toby Orenstein
• Associate Artistic Directors: David A. Hopkins, Lawrence B. Munsey
• General Manager: Joel Friedman
• Assistant Manager: Patrick Albright
• Form Manager: Steve Lewis
• Chef / Kitchen Manager: Chuck Cofield
• Chef / Assistant Kitchen Manager: Anthony Beachum
• Director of Group Sales / Tour and Travel: Cheryl Clemens
• Assistant Director of Group Sales / Tour and Travel: Cheryl Clemens
• Group Sales Coordinator: Beverly Ailiff
• Group Sales Hosting Staff: Heidi Berry, Bonnie Ciborowski, Marsha
• Raymond, Michelle Sanders
• Director of Marketing: Nancy Michel
• Box Office Staff: Heidi Berry, Judy Berry, Laura Blasi, Mary Dempsey,
• Lynae Harris, Breena Hebron, Estelle King, Marie Moineau
• Bookkeeper: Bayna Castner
• Youth Theatre Administrator: Janine Sunday
• Theatre Photographer / Website Developer: Kirstine Christiansen
• Bar Manager: Shawn Kettering
• Maintenance Engineers: Stephen B. Harris, Mike Monahan

Disclaimer: Toby’s Dinner Theater provided two complimentary media tickets to ShowBizRadio for this review.

The Unexpected Guest, first produced in 1958, is classic Agatha Christie. Richard Atha-Nicholls and Colonial Players have put together a top-notch production with tight performances from an exceptionally talented cast of eight.

Dame Agatha Christie is widely acknowledged as the reigning queen of the Murder Mystery genre in virtually every possible medium from novel to stage. Her characters are always multi-level, sophisticated (even when they’re low-born) and intriguing. The Mousetrap, Christie’s 1952 masterpiece, is just shy of sixty years in continuous production at London’s West End. She is second to none except possibly Shakespeare in popularity. Her stories are famous for twist endings, complex plots and red herrings and The Unexpected Guest is no exception.

Colonial Players’ production captures the essence of Christie’s wit and intrigue splendidly. From the opening moments to the final surprising twist, this show has it all. And it all starts on a foggy night on the south coast of England. Michael Starkwedder (Jeff Mocho), a traveling business man, has had an accident near the remote home of Richard and Laura Warwick. In the hopes of finding assistance, he enters the home, where he finds Warwick (John Sheeler) dead, and Warwick’s wife, Laura (Shirley Panek), holding a gun that supposedly killed him. It’s not long before we meet the other residents of the Warwick household: Warwick’s mother (Elizabeth McWilliams), his simple half-brother Jan (Ethan Goldberg), the butler, Angell (Michael Rogers), and the housekeeper, Miss Bennett (Jean Berard). These residents are soon joined by a family friend and aspiring politician Julian Ferrar (John Sheeler again). It becomes clear quite quickly that any one of these characters possess ample motives for committing the crime, and it’s up to Inspector Thomas (Mark T. Allen) and Sergeant Cadwallader (Justin Truesdale) to work out the puzzle.

Ah, but this is Agatha Christie and nothing is what it seems. That’s part of the fun! And what fun it is, too. The Unexpected Guest has enough twists and turns to keep you guessing right up to the very end, even for a confirmed AC fan.

Richard Atha-Nicholls has been gifted with a talented cast of eight and there isn’t a weak performance in the bunch. Special kudos go to Scheeler for transforming from corpse (for the first half hour!) to smooth-talking representative of the Liberal party with higher political aspirations, to Truesdale for nearly stealing the show several times as the overly enthusiastic note-taking junior officer on the scene, to Berard for her slightly too-tightly wrapped portrayal of the housekeeper, to Goldberg for a properly sinister simpleton, to Panek for carrying off a terrifically played transition from one sort of victim to another and especially to Mocho, the unexpected guest with a gift for inspiring trust in everyone he meets. Bravo to everyone for their work with BettyAnn Leeseberg-Lange, Dialect Coach, for making it a pleasure to watch this very English production. As has usually been my experience, attention to detail is everything. Doug Dawson’s set boasts lovely decor, with assistance from Tom Ammon and Debby Dawson. Michael M. Harris’ lighting design sets the right mood. Ben Cornwell’s sound design (with fog horns and quietly passing cars in the distance) gives a proper and realistic background. Linda Swann’s costumes are fitting and proper and Jeannie Beall’s props are just right.

I have to agree with Atha-Nicholls’ directorial decision to keep the cast in the dark about just who done it. The character building experience shows. Well done, all!

It is nearly impossible to write about the story without giving away spoilers and that’s the last thing this production deserves, so please trust me when I say you should make time in your busy schedule to see the show. The Unexpected Guest kicks-off Colonial Players’ 63rd season with a bang!

NOTE: This production includes fog (which stuck around for a while after its initial appearance), cigarette smoking and a gun shot.

Director’s Notes

Do you trust me?

That all depends on how well you know me. For those that do, I hope that you would, though I know there are some who don’t. That trust is based upon our historical knowledge of each other. But if I was a complete stranger would you trust me? Why would you, you don’t know me? Yet I’m sure if you think hard enough you can recall at least one action that required you to trust a complete stranger. For example, handing over the keys of your new car to the parking valet. Our choice to trust a stranger is based on our past experiences.

We trust Agatha Christie to give us a story with twists and turns and red herrings that keep us guessing, or at least unsure, until the very end. When you came to the show tonight, you trusted the actors to know and deliver their lines as their characters, making them seem believable in everything they say. But it’s by Agatha Christie, so we know that at least one of these characters cannot be trusted. But which one?

When I was selected to direct this show I made a decision that meant I had to ask the cast to trust me. Trust me as a director and trust that what I was asking them to do would help discover and create their characters. In return, I would have to trust them. I asked them not to read the end of the play. As I write this, a little over two weeks before opening, I can tell you the cast only just found out the end. As such, I believe that it has been beneficial in some of the character choices they have made. I trust them now to bring the story to life and lead you in the way only Agatha can write.

As a director, I have also had to trust my staff. Not an easy thing for me. Letting go and giving them creative choices and then trusting them implicitly to execute those choices along with my vision. And lastly, I have had to trust my [meddling] stage manager – without whom this show would not run as envisioned.

Do you trust me now?

Richard Atha-Nicholls

Cast (In order of appearance)

• Richard Warwick: John Scheeler
• Laura Warwick: Shirley Panek
• Michael Starkwedder: Jeff Mocho
• Miss Bennett: Jean Berard
• Jan Warwick: Ethan Goldberg
• Mrs. Warwick: Elizabeth McWilliams
• Henry Angell: Michael Rogers
• Sergeant Cadwallader: Justin Truesdale
• Inspector Thomas: Mark T. Allen
• Julian Ferrar: John Scheeler

Production Staff

• Director: Richard Atha-Nicholls
• Producer: Andrea L. Elward
• Stage Manager: Nell Codner-Jarashow
• Set Design: Doug Dawson
• Lead Carpenter: Dick Whaley
• Carpenters: Lee Craft, Jim Robinson, Ted Yablonski
• Set Decoration & Painting: Tom Ammon, Debby Dawson, Doug Dawson
• Costume Design: Linda Swann
• Properties Design: Jeannie Beall
• Properties Assistants: Peggy Schmeltzer, Cornelia Watson
• Lighting Design: Michael M. Harris
• Lighting Consultant: Jennifer Parris
• Lighting Assistants: Terry Averill, Andrea L. Elward, Richard
• Atha-Nicholls, Drew Panek, Emma Panek, Shirley Panek, Jennifer Parris,
• Tom Stuckey, Bob Walker
• Sound Design: Ben Cornwell
• Sound / Lighting Technicians: Debby Hall, Erin Gray
• Dialect Coach: Betty Ann Leeseberg- Lange
• Special Needs Consultant: Emilia O’Connor
• Assistant to the Director: Nell Codner-Jarashow
• Production Assistant: Amy Wheaton
• Weapons Master: Mike Gidos
• Lobby Display: Amy Wheaton
• Play Consultant: Mickey Lund
• Production Consultant: Tom Stuckey
• Playbill / Poster Design: Jim Gallagher
• Photography: David Colburn
• Program Editor: Tom Stuckey

Disclaimer: Colonial Players provided two complimentary media tickets to ShowBizRadio for this review.