Stage Review - Twelfth Night (ACT / Seattle Shakespeare)

Stage Review - Twelfth Night
Presented By: ACT / Seattle Shakespeare - Seattle, WA
Show Run: June 07 - June 22, 2025
Date Reviewed: Thursday, June 12, 2025 (Opening Night)
Run Time: 2 Hours, 45 Minutes (including a 15 minute intermission)
Reviewed By: Greg Heilman

There are going to be some telling times ahead for what is the new organization formed by the recent merger between ACT Contemporary Theatre and the Seattle Shakespeare Company. The haven’t yet announced a new name for the new entity, but it’s clear this has been in the works for some time, especially if you hear Managing Director (SSC Executive Director) John Bradshaw and Interim Producing Artistic Director Elisabeth Farwell-Moreland talk about it, or if you consider the first ever co-production between the two companies (as individuals) was already scheduled for this season. For me, there’s a lot riding on this, as the number of professional theatre organizations in Seattle has now been reduced, but if it means that neither of the groups fails as a going concern, then it’s a good thing. I do hope that the combined organization continues to bring the best parts of the individuals, meaning that I hope we still continue to see creatively adapted and staged new versions of works from Shakespeare’s catalog as well as Shakespeare-inspired new works, like last season’s Bed Trick from Keiko Green, and I hope we are presented with the kind of new and challenging theatre that ACT has been bringing to the area, pieces like Reginald André Jackson’s History of Theatre: About, By, For, and Near. Done right, it has all the makings for a wonderful new partnership, but it’s a road not so frequently traveled in these parts, so it’s with cautious optimism that I keep my eye on this newly merged company. And, yes, while time will tell how this all works out, we do have one piece of evidence to look at, and that is the current show running on the ACT Contemporary Theatre stage, in its Falls Theatre, Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. Being the first co-production from ACT and “Seattle Shakes”, this could be a bellwether show, though to me, it feels more Seattle Shakespeare than ACT, though there are some components that make it clear it wasn’t produced in a SSC vacuum. This is a good thing, in that the show, directed by Annie Lareau and running through June 22, has the same magic that last season’s Romeo and Juliet had, the magic that I recall writing re-inspired my love of Shakespeare, which had been waning with the sheer amount of his work that I was taking in. It’s a piece that captures the story as it’s intended, sets it in a time and place that allows Annie’s design team to do some of their best work, marries it with some wonderful new musical compositions, as well as some standards, all sung beautifully by the cast, and is entirely fun.

Twelfth Night is one of the most Shakespeare of his comedies. Originally created as a “Twelfth Night” entertainment piece, the play is believed to have been written right around the turn of the 17th Century and takes its name from that celebration, the twelfth night of Christmas, a feast marking the coming of the Epiphany, a word with an etymology tracing back to the Greek word for reveal. Unironically, Shakespeare created a play for a feast to celebrate a reveal with a piece that builds to a climax that provides what is his own ultimate reveal. In the Twelfth Night, if you’re not familiar with it, twins Viola and Sebastian are separated when a tempest hits the ship they’re sailing on together. Each thinking the other is dead, Viola arrives on the shore of Illyria, with the help of the ship’s captain, and assumes the male identity of Cesario and enters the service of the island’s chief, Duke Orsino, while Sebastian is rescued by another sea captain who has previously fought Orsino, but he brings Sebastian to Illyria regardless. With what seems like a dozen (or so) subplots, each absurdly hilarious in their own right, Twelfth Night takes a long, winding, and humorous road to the end where its big reveal sets all of the chaos that preceded it right. I say this is the most Shakespeare of his comedies because frankly, it has all the characteristics that he’s been known to use as plot and comic devices, including a major storm that initiates the chaos, one gender posing as another, lovelorn individuals and unrequited attraction, and enough mistaken identities to fill two or three plays from any other playwright.

I’m always interested in seeing is what groups do with these classic plays, whether they set them in a more traditional time and place to make it feel “Shakespearean” or if they move it to a time or place that is used to send a message (for example, placing Romeo and Juliet in the projects of Oakland as I saw two seasons ago at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival) or to provide a fresh creative expression. That this co-production has done the latter, setting this classic story on the Italian Coast in the late 1940s, as director Annie Lareau puts it, an “era when the world questioned old rules and celebrated every shade of attraction. A moment poised between war’s shadow and a new appetite for life”, truly makes me smile. In addition to providing a context for the story to be told in and consumed by the audience, it also provides a framework for the creative team to do their work in, and in doing so allows them to shine. Annie has surrounded herself with a top notch design team, too. The set, which resembles an Italian villa, is another glorious example of the work Parmida Ziaei is known for around the region. Resplendent with its Roman arches adorned with vines, classic statues, and vases, and casual wicker patio furniture, the set is exquisite, each scene accented with projections mapped to the arches and designed by Ahren Buhmann, who also is responsible for the lighting here, the latter doing such a wonderful job at providing mood to each scene and setting. Perhaps the coup de gras, though, is the working, yes working, stone fountain that rises up from below the floor at the end of the first act. Add to this Robertson Witmer’s consistently solid sound design and Annie’s vision comes to life in a beautiful way. Each of these design elements have a confluential moment right at the beginning of the play, in the creative manner in which light, projections, and sound come together to present a dramatic version of the tempest that leads to the separation of the twins. It’s a nice way to start the play and just an inkling of the quality to come. Add to all of this some wonderful original music and songs from Malex Reed, and this becomes an extremely fresh interpretation. The final piece of the design is Danielle Nieves’ costumes, which are just as much of an achievement as Parmida’s set. Each individual story arc seems to have its own color palette, and each character within those storylines is coordinated masterfully. Danielle has strung each of these individual lines together as well, so that when all of the characters are on stage, the largesse design ties in with the overall scenic design. The costumes are very well done, each fits expertly within the theme of the overall vision, and they’re all fun. Some personal favorites are Cassi Q. Kohl’s combination as Feste, the matching outfits for Viola/Cesario and Sebastian, and the myriad of styles worn by Jasmine Jean Sim as Olivia.

In a play that is largely built on the skill of its ensemble, if there is a lead, it has to be Alegra Batara as twin sister Viola, the one who pretends to be Cesario. Alegra brings a good amount of energy to this role, and they are solid in Act 1. But in Act 2, when confusion surrounds Cesario, in how they react to siren Olivia’s (Jasmine Jean Sim) advances, or in Cesario’s awkward sword fight with Sir Andrew (Peter Dylan O’Connor), a practical joke set up by Sir Toby (Tim Hyland) and Fabian (Pilar O’Connnell), they’re at their best. Concerning that sword fight, it may be almost more difficult to stage a fight with two reluctant participants, but fight director Ian Bond has them dancing to their odd drummers perfectly. And kudos to Annie and Pilar (also the casting director for this production) for having two individuals with a resemblance (Alegra as Viola and Rhys Daly as Sebastian) such that they could pass for the twins that they play in the story. Meanwhile, Jasmine’s sultry and seductive Olivia, while throwing her attention toward Cesario, is fighting off another’s at every turn. Arjun Pande is Duke Orsino and he believes himself to be suave, debonair, and a romantic, a ladies man as it were. A sharp dresser to boot he’s attracted to Olivia and has employed Cesario to do what he couldn’t, get her attention, but to no avail. In fact, it backfires, as Viola (Cesario) is attracted to Orsino, he, in turn, is attracted to Olivia, who has her eyes on Cesario. It’s quite the love triangle, and each actor plays in it so well. Arjun is simply excellent as Orsino, and his work especially late in Act 2 shows a good amount of versatility.

There are a few scene stealers here, too, and none more than Jasmine’s Olivia. Yes, the siren is, as I said, sultry and seductive, and her singing voice is bluesy. As she opens up the singing in the show, her red velvet dress is the perfect match, making for an enchanting performance. It’s her comedic skills that are the most memorable, though. The giddy nervousness her Olivia presents when first meeting Cesario, especially for someone so confident with herself otherwise, is quite charming, and very funny. It’s an all around performance from Jasmine that stands out, as does Cassi’s turn as Feste. With Cassi, we’ve seen a lot from her this season, and incredible and emotional run as Cathy in ACT’s The Last Five Years, and Bernadette in ACT’s POTUS. As Feste, she proves she can do it all, deliver a classic comedic performance as Olivia’s servant jester, and feature her powerful and wide-ranging voice in numbers like “Steppin’ Out Tonight”, a jazzy song with good harmonies among those performing it with her.

The cast also consists of Sir Toby and Sir Andrew, friends and practical jokers, played by Tim Hyland and the aforementioned Peter Dylan O’Connor. This pair is like their own comedy team, with Tim’s Toby constantly drinking and wobbly on his feet, and Peter’s Andrew a bit of a buffoon who thinks highly of himself, though is a bit slow on the update, as they say. He, too, has eyes for Olivia, but his own bumbling usually puts an end to his own efforts, though he is the lynchpin in his and Toby’s plan to prank Olivia’s steward, Malvolia, played by Amy Thone. Andrew’s wealth and gullibility are what Shakespeare uses to make a statement about the upper class in his time. This pair, and when you add in Sarah Harlett’s Maria, Olivia’s maid, a trio, are quite good together, and understand the physical aspects in the humor of their characters extremely well. Their target, Malvolia, is also wonderfully played, Amy is so comical n the role, especially when in the midst of the prank being played on her character. Rounding out the superlative ensemble is the talented Malex Reed in a supporting role as Valentine, attendant to Orsino, an officer, and a priest (in addition to the contribution as composer), and Benjamin Neil McCormack as both Antonio and the ship captain, Benjamin having the unique opportunity to play both of the people who rescues the twins.

The next twelve months is going to be very telling for the new organization that represents the combined operations of ACT Contemporary Theatre and Seattle Shakespeare following their merger earlier this year. From selecting a name for their going concern, to establishing an identity that we all hope represents the best of the two former individual companies, this time next year, after their first full season together, should provide a good idea as to that identity and its direction. That said, if their first co-production, Twelfth Night, is any indication, they’ll at least be able to carry on the wonderful and inspiring work that Seattle Shakespeare has been doing of late. Though Twelfth Night feels like a Seattle Shakespeare production in its creativity, performance quality, and its respect for the the Bard, the show does have some tendrils of ACT clearly touching its margins at the very least. This version, under the astute direction of Annie Lareau, is fresh, lively, and funny, an entertaining presentation of a classic told by an exceptional cast and creative team that knows it has a responsibility to both companies to provide a foundation on which to build, and the result is an experience that bodes extremely well for well for the future.

Twelfth Night, the first co-production between ACT Contemporary Theatre and Seattle Shakespeare Company runs on ACT’s Falls Theatre stage through June 22. For more information, including ticket availability and sales, visit https://www.acttheatre.org/ or https://www.seattleshakespeare.org/.

Photo credit: Rosemary Dai Ross