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![_Heat Things Up With <em>Desire</em> at the Blanton [Art Preview]](http://austinist.com/assets_c/2010/02/minter-thumb-110x110-478584.jpg)
Heat Things Up With Desire at the Blanton [Art Preview]
Through 8/30, Fr/Sa @ 8pm, Su @ 5pm
Scottish Rite Theatre (207 W. 18th Street)
[info] | [tickets]
Master of Play Beth Burns now takes her best shot at Shakespeare with a production of the comedy Twelfth Night at the Scottish Rite Theater. For starters, let it be known that even if the show totally sucked, which it doesn’t—not even close—just going to see the amazing sets is worth it. These sets, part of the theatre, are comprised of 70 pieces, and were hand painted in 1882. They’re just stunning.
As for the production itself—well, for starters, let’s just say that, like the far-flung line of a champion fly fisherman, it’s perfectly cast. These actors are all so clearly smitten with the bard’s work that you can feel the love as they deliver, and deliver they do.
Shannon Grounds, in the meaty double role of Viola/Cesario, rises delightfully to the occasion of playing both a young lad and a young lassie. Distressed at having lost (or so she believes) her twin brother in a shipwreck, she signs up, in drag, as Cesario, a male servant to Duke Orsino (Nathan Jerkin) whose wish is to win over young Olivia (Suzanne Balling), also grief stricken at the loss of her brother. Olivia wants no part of Orsino’s courtship, but she does perk up, to put it mildly, when Viola-as-Cesario shows up on the scene as Orsino’s messenger.
It’s a classic tale of unrequited love all around, packed with lots of mistakes, misconstruing, and miscommunication. Some of this is intentional as, for instance, when Olivia’s uncle, Toby (Michael Mergen), and his bumbling bud, Sir Andrew (Judd Farris), conspire with Olivia’s servant, Maria (Jill Swanson), to fuck with Malvolio’s head. Toby and Andrew are a regular Beavis and Butthead, drinking themselves silly, and dreaming impossible dreams. Poor Malvolio, dedicated steward of Olivia, gets sucked in but, at least in this production, manages to transcend the bullshit thanks to a stunning portrayal by Robert Matney.
Pity short reviews do not lend themselves to detailed shout outs for each and every cast member, but suffice it to say, they all rock out with their codpieces out. Jill Swanson’s Maria is the perfect co-conspirator for Michael Mergen’s boisterous Toby and Judd Farris’s hilarious Andrew. Nathan Jerkin’s Orsino shares a wonderful chemistry with Grounds. Suzanne Balling's Olivia shifts from grief to love-struck abandon seamlessly. And even the characters we don’t see too much of—Cesar, Antonio, and Sebastian—bring just the right stuff to their roles. But it is Justin Scalise, as the all-knowing jester, Feste, who nearly steals the show as he sings, dances, and jokes, winking at the audience knowingly as he goes.
Burns takes full advantage of the theatre, not just the beautiful sets, having her characters depart from the stage and tumble out, nearly into the audience’s lap. She also uses live music, a great touch. All’s well that ends well with this show, to understate the matter.
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Twelfth Night offers a richness of fools. The official jester Feste is the least foolish of them. As personified by Justin Scalise, Feste is a sober, witty wraith with a fine singing voice. Far more farcical are Michael Mergin playing rapscallion knight Sir Toby Belch and Judd Farris as the earnest, stupid suitor Andrew Aguecheek (a fine study in slowly firing synapses).
And then there is Malvolio, the self-important steward who is so cruelly misled by Maria the serving woman (bravo to Jill K. Swanson for her twinkling mischief). She counterfeits the letter to Malvolio that prompts him to put on ridiculous attire, paint his face, and put on a smile almost painful to observe. The baiting and humiliation of Malvolio is the dark side of this comedy. It occurs relatively late in the action; the castle force and jester Feste imprison Malvolio and mock him further; and at the happy resolution of everyone else’s quandaries, the lovely Olivia perceives and explains the cruel trick. Shakespeare gives Malvolio a horrible exit line: “I will be revenged on the lot of you.”
So how does a company play that dark vein in this otherwise frothy, colorful confection? In Shakespeare’s day, Malvolio was probably a haughty, hissing horrible guy. After all, “mal voglio” in Italian is, roughly, “ill will.”
In this presentation, director Burns and actor Robert Matney are very delicate with Malvolio. He comes across as thoughtful and gently deluded, that sort of nice guy who is just, well, clueless. When he has no streak of mean, how do you handle his defeat? In this presentation, he kneels to Lady Olivia and tenders in resignation the chain that is his emblem of office. And you choreograph your curtain call as a sort of Morris dance, with Malvolio taking part, as if he didn’t really mean it with that final imprecation. This doesn’t really resolve the problem, but it reminds us that the evening is all in fun.
Further comment and some images of the impressive scenary -- see austinlivetheatre.blogspot.com