Tom Plessers
In Motion Staff Writer
Filled with humor, drama and love, the “Twelfth Night” Shakespearean classic once again offered a tale of romance last month, as brought to life by Daytona State College director and theater professor Samantha Stern.
Staying mostly true to the original Elizabethan staging. Stern cast and guided the actors perfectly for the characters they play and portray. Where all characters did well, two actors truly stood out in their performance with complex monologues: Viola, played by Rachel Larchar; and Malvolio, played by Gamaliel Arroyo. The first captures the complexity of the monologues and presents us with the romantic part of the play, while the
Welch, Jensen Lescarbeau as Fester the Jester and Austin Dolich as Sirt Andrew Aguecheek.[/caption]
But from the start of the first scene, the audience is transported into a Shakespearean world where Duke Orsino, as portrayed by Kerry Alce, welcomes with music. Playing the guitar and singing in true minstrel fashion, he ushers in Justin Spanos’ “Musician,” who receives some criticism from Orsino.
Although the first few scenes are used to introduce the various characters into the play, the setting and romance of the comedy does not get lost by the short length of such scenes. As the play develops, so does the complexity of the dialogues and even more the monologues.
While every scene is connected by music, after the opener, some of the songs are modern tunes, such as Feste the Jester’s homage to Billy Joel. Background music leaned toward both classic Shakespearean period music and contemporary hits. Though this may be appealing to a younger audience and granted, every piece of music followed the tone of the scenes, it took away part of the romance and authenticity of the piece.
Luckily, this small loss in setting was overcome by a well built, multifunctional stage, where, through a combination of set, light and sound, actors were able to guide the aud
p-content/uploads/2016/12/MG_8675_JPG-300×212.jpg” alt=”Kerry Alce, Duke Orsino and Rachel Larchar as Viola.” width=”300″ height=”212″ /> Kerry Alce, Duke Orsino and Rachel Larchar as Viola.[/caption]
Closing on Nov. 20 at the News-Journal Center, the four stagings of “Twelfth Night” brought much laughter to audiences and all in all provided a romantic night out for those who attended. Other notable actors in the play include Jessica James (Olivia) Terence Van Auken (Sir Toby Belch) and Austin Dolich (Sir Andrew Aguecheek).