Secondhand embarrassment is something found in most plays, whether in a Broadway show or a high school performance. Secondhand embarrassment is that little cringe you experience when it’s obvious that someone messed up their line or forgot it entirely, or maybe they are being too heavy-handed with their delivery. I am pleased and pleasantly surprised to report that the Blackburn Department of Music and Theatre’s production of “Twelfth Night” had none of that. I went to the opening night performance and things seemed to run without a hitch. The show was very funny, had great use of the space and interesting ways of working around casting problems.
That’s not to say that it was a perfect show. I’m nowhere near a bardologist (Shakespeare expert), but I was familiar with the “Twelfth Night” story and had seen other professional performances. When talking about Blackburn’s performance with others who were less familiar with the play, it was evident that they were a little confused. I have seen other performances that begin with a short introduction to the siblings Viola and Sebastian and how they were separated. Now, this is not completely necessary, (and it would be a variation from the original text) but I believe it would have made the play more accessible for people who are unfamiliar with Shakespeare.
The play also had the problem from which I think several of Shakespeare’s more lighthearted works suffer. The supporting characters and subplots are much more interesting than the main focus of the play. This is a Shakespeare problem and not necessarily a problem with Blackburn’s adaptation. Although, with the significant liberties that theatre professor Carolyn Conover took with the adaptation’s setting and some dialogue, I had hoped that maybe she would find a solution to this.
Please believe me, these critiques come from a place of love. The actors and everyone else involved in this play are very talented, and they did a fantastic job bringing my favorite Shakespeare play to life. Everyone involved in the servant storyline was hilarious, with particularly funny portrayals by Jason Wasson as Cousin Toby, Rachael Chong as Fabian/Feste, Jessica Cramer as Malvolia and Emily Schneider as Andrew Augecheek. The main storyline was compelling as well, with strong performances from Eric Gudgel as Sebastian, Lisa Knight as Viola, Andrea Swift-Hanlon as Maria, Abigayle Groves as Lady Olivia and Victory Odunuwke as Sir Orsino. Also, a big shoutout to the unsung heroes of all plays, the creative team. The lighting, set design and music, as well as the great acting, all around made Blackburn’s production of “Twelfth Night” a wonderful and very entertaining show.
