Shakespeare’s most absurd and wacky comedy, Twelfth Night, is brought to life this week at the Kanata Theatre.
The story begins with Viola (Abbey Sugars-Keen), shipwrecked in the ancient kingdom of Illyria and separated from her twin brother Sebastian (Nicholas Maillet), whom she presumes dead. She disguises herself as a young man named Cesario and goes to work as a “manservant” for Duke Orsino (Ian Gillies). Orsino, lovesick for Countess Olivia (Emily Walsh), dispatches Cesario to woo his lady love, but Olivia instead falls for the beardless youth sent to deliver the missive.
And that is only the beginning of the convoluted and unlikely plot that entangles all characters in a merry romp of gender-bending, love triangles, and elaborate ruses.
Under the staging and direction of Jim Holmes, Illyria is transmuted into a more familiar maritime port city, with stage design featuring the iconic colourful row houses of St. John’s, and a lively band performing East Coast-inspired tunes. The music, which is composed for this performance by Kenny Hayes—who also portrays Feste—effectively steers the emotional tempo of the show, providing a light-hearted and folksy backdrop for most of the show’s comedic follies, but also striking just the right note of melancholy during the more emotionally gripping moments of the play.
Dale McEachern, Brian McManus, and Kenny Hayes. Photo by Alex Henkelman.
The comedic characters are exceedingly well portrayed. A swaggering and sometimes staggering Sir Toby Belch (Dale McEachern) finds a perfect comedic counterpoint in the goofy buffoonery of Andrew Aguecheek (Brian McManus). Kenny Hayes’ Feste is a sharp and sassy fool who delivers his lines with a wink and a nod to the audience to let them in on the jokes. Barry Daley plays Malvolio as a stuffed-shirt puritan and delivers a perfect comedic cringe moment when he comes into his full incarnation as a hapless lover in yellow stockings.
An honourable mention must be made to Kim Strauss, who managed to make a full meal out of her minor role as Fabienne. Her physicality and expression were an absolute delight to watch.
The dramatic characters stuck to their more serious portrayals for the most part. As the unrequited lover Orsino, Ian Gillies gives us an intense and mooning romantic, and there are real sparks between him and the earnest, tormented Viola (Abbey Sugars-Keen), who earned the love and sympathy of the audience. Emily Walsh gave a more comedic performance in her racy and bombastic portrayal of Olivia, which albeit a tad one-note, was entertaining and ultimately quite endearing.
Ian Gillies as Orsino, and Abbey Sugars-Keen as Viola. Photo by Alex Henkelman.
The culminating scene could have been played a bit larger to really deliver the comedic punches that are lined up throughout the text, but overall the cast put on a thoroughly entertaining evening of classic comedy.
The Kanata Theatre’s adaptation of Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare is playing from Nov. 8 to 18. More information can be found here and tickets can be purchased here.
