The wonderful news for theater lovers is the chance now to enjoy Shakespeare's plays as he wrote them. London's Shakespeare's Globe company at the Belasco Theater is drawing audiences to a traditional Twelfth Night (or, old-style, “Twelfe Night”) in repertory with Richard III(Richard King the Third). The cast is all-male as it was in the 1600's when female roles were played by men in white makeup and wigs. Chandeliers provide a candle-lit set, the music is Elizabethan, performed from a balcony above the stage and Jenny Tiramani's silks and velvet costumes are precisely constructed. Take the opportunity to come early enough to watch the cast onstage dressing and setting up.
Most important, newcomers to the Bard as well as Shakespeare aficionados cannot help but be impressed by the performances of the splendid cast led by Mark Rylance (Jerusalem). He is aided by a cast that shines no less brightly.
Directed with humor and enthusiasm by Tim Carroll, Rylance, an multiple award-winner in comedy and tragedy, carries both off with imaginative brilliance. Twelfth Night probably refers to the twelfth night after Christmas, a topsy-turvy chaotic festival in Elizabethan times. Shakespeare set the play in the mythical country of Illyria where criss-crossing crises of love make for intertwined complexities.
Rylance gives a wry giddiness to Countess Olivia who, mourning the death of her brother, has vowed never to love again. Orsino (Liam Brennan) loves Olivia but she finds she is drawn to the shipwreck survivor, Viola/Cesario, played with a savvy sentiment by Samuel Barnett (The History Boys). Olivia's maid, Maria (Paul Chahidi), plump but wily, observes everything.
Stephen Fry is impressively self-centered as Malvolio before Olivia cruelly discards him and while he deserves what he gets, it's hard not to feel a twinge of pity for him. Angus Wright draws attention with his portrayal of ridiculous Sir Andrew Aguecheek. Meanwhile, hilarious chaos reigns until the final act everyone finds the right partner.
Shakespeare has taken different directions this year. Brooklyn's St. Ann's Warehouse recently ended its run of an all-female production of Julius Caesar. Alan Cumming's Macbeth has left his own bizarre world, and Orlando Bloom will no longer ride his motorcycle in Verona (Romeo and Juliet). For the real thing, however, go to Twelfth Night and Richard III; Shakespeare on Broadway at the Belasco Theater. This is an event. Catch both productions of if you can, but at least one is a must for every theater lover.
