BY AYAN CHATTERJEE

In print | March 31, 2005

It’s spring and Swarthmore’s drama scene is in full bloom. After last weekend’s productions of Joe Raciti’s exciting original musical, “Dance Dangerously,” and three short David Ives plays, Swarthmore students will get a taste of the Bard with this semester’s third Drama Board production, “Twelfth Night.” The Shakespearean comedy will be directed by Kathy Liu ‘05, who directed "You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown" last spring.

Liu said that “Twelfth Night” is her favorite Shakespeare comedy, and bringing it to campus has been one of her goals for nearly a year. One of Shakespeare’s most celebrated comedies, “Twelfth Night” tells the story of Viola (Caroline Grubbs ‘07), who is stranded in a foreign country after a shipwreck which she believes killed her beloved twin brother. She daringly decides to dress as a man and work for the local ruler, Count Orsino (Ian Flora ’05), who has fallen in love with an aristocrat named Olivia (Katie Cassling ’07). Disguised as a gentleman and calling herself Cesario, Viola falls in love with Orsino, while Olivia falls in love with her. Surrounding this love triangle are a colorful cast of characters including Olivia’s merry uncle Sir Toby Belch (Bill Welsh ’08) and the steward Malvolio (Arthur Chu ’06).

Like many other directors of Shakespeare, Liu brings her own style to the show, which both she

and Grubbs describe as “Jane Austen meets Shakespeare.” Set in mid 19th-century England, the show has few sets and places emphasis on costumes.

The changes to the play allow Liu and Grubbs to put a twist on the character of Viola, who has long been regarded as a strong and admirable heroine. “I see her like one of the wild women artists of that period. At the time you had people who took on male pseudonyms, like George Sand,” Liu said.

Also a fan of Shakespeare and “Twelfth Night,” Grubbs found playing Viola an enjoyable challenge. “The character goes through so many emotions in a very short space of time — sometimes it’s difficult to keep up. But it was definitely fun to show her trying to grapple with becoming Cesario — the awkwardness of the clothing, the attempts to affect a male camaraderie, all the while trying to simultaneously hide her feelings for Orsino and deflect the advances of Olivia,” she said.

Bill Welsh ‘08 was interested in “Twelfth Night” "because after some terrible high school experiences I vowed never to do theater again. But then, hey, it was ’Twelfth Night’ and I couldn’t resist. Addiction," he said. He claims that the most challenging thing about playing his part is “is stumbling and not getting wine on my companions’ impeccable garb.”

Perhaps the funniest character in the play is Feste, a jester who lives in Olivia’s large and rambunctious household. Liu decided to cast an actress (Heather Yitalo-Ward ‘06) in the male role, mirroring the gender confusion surrounding the other characters and adding another dimension to the clown’s humor.

To make the mistaken identities work and set the play in its intended time period, the show relies heavily on visual cues and clothing created by costume designer Sam Baker ’07.

Incorporating Liu’s vision into her work, she has created what she describes as “Regency-era period pieces with personal expression.” Describing the costume of Feste, she said that “it’s got a little of the jester touch. It’s based on Regency designs but has a comic element in it.”

In accordance with the tradition of performing Shakespeare in the outdoors, the production of “Twelfth Night” will take place April 1 – 3 in the Rose Garden at 7 p.m., weather permitting. In case of rain the play will be performed in the Scheuer Room.

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