At Southern Utah University, the Utah Shakespeare Festival in Cedar City, Utah presents William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. The comedy is fast and furious with one thing after another compounding into Elizabethan situational comedy. Twelfth Night is an uproarious production filled with witty dialogue, irresistible characters, and side-splitting laughs.
One of Shakespeare’s most famous plays of mistaken identity and gender-bending hilarity, Twelfth Night follows the twins Viola and Sebastian after they are split up in a shipwreck and are trying to start a new life in Illyria. Both siblings believe the other is dead and, in order to protect herself, Viola takes on the male disguise of Cesario. Her decision creates a chain reaction of comic mishaps certain to cause anyone to giggle. Orsino loves Olivia. Viola loves Orsino. Olivia loves Cesario. The three create an unlikely love triangle beset with unerring amusement.
Sarah Hollis (left) as Viola and Tristan Turner as Sebastian in Twelfth Night 
The most potent attribute of this cast is comic timing. Sarah Hollis* is a delightful Viola who reacts to every situation in mirthful ways. Her Cesario is physically humorous, her expressions honest and endearing. René Thornton Jr.* (Orsino) captures your attention from the first line of the play. He makes longing sighs and throws himself about the stage with lovelorn exuberance that sets the tone. He is one of the most believable and loveable Orsino’s ever portrayed. Betsy Mugavero* (Olivia) is shamelessly devoted to every emotion. She’s larger than life. Mugavero commands every scene she is in and owns every funny thing she says as she flits from feeling to feeling. Through the piece Trent Dahlin (Feste, the fool) watches over the action and pushes a little here and adds another dimension there. The text gives the audience the idea that Feste really knows all. Dahlin’s fool is playful and affable. He joys in language, laughter, and the occasional jaunty tune.
The unholy trinity of the play though hugely silly are also somehow grounded, doing this to marvelous effect. Katie Cunningham* (Maria) does something new with this role. From her first moment to her last bow, her Maria feels almost like a toy. She holds her body and head like a bobble doll. She prances and plays and ultimately becomes this caricature. Todd Denning* (Sir Toby Belch) is a belligerent, drunk, lecherous character that we all love to hate. He has these fun bits where he has flasks hidden around the set in unexpected places. He loves his life of leisure and marvels in jokes so long as he comes out on top. His foil, Josh Jeffers (Sir Andrew Aguecheek) is a lovable and completely witless fop. Jeffers plays up the comedy with brilliant timing. The letter scene in the garden is marvelous. This is an oft-performed moment and isn’t always as incredibly timed, brilliantly staged, and masterfully performed as this one is.
Trent Dahlin (left) as Feste and Katie Cunningham as Maria in the Utah Shakespeare Festival’s 2019 production of Twelfth Night. (Photo by Karl Hugh. Copyright Utah Shakespeare Festival 2019.)
Chris Mixon (left) as Malvolio and Todd Denning as Sir Toby Belch in the Utah Shakespeare Festival’s 2019 production of Twelfth Night. (Photo by Karl Hugh. Copyright Utah Shakespeare Festival 2019.)
Without a doubt, Chris Mixon* (Malvolio) steals the show. His taciturn Malvolio is unparalleled. Mixon creates a laugh that is rich and nuanced. It doesn’t feel like he is playing for laughs but rather is committed to his stoicism. Every laugh, every smile, every sigh, is met with joy and cheers from the audience. He can do no wrong.
Special mention needs to be made of Samae Allred, Ben Cano, Isabella Giordano (Musicians). They underscore and participate in much of the action. They add another level of play which pushes this show to a whole other experience.
The artistic level of the Utah Shakespeare Festival is phenomenal. Twelfth Night is a production where everything feels familiar all while being new and unique in this imaginary world. Bill Black (Costume Designer) creates pieces that remind one of France, of Italy, of a mixture of Greece, and even with smatterings of reformation America. Each piece is lush and tells a strong character story long before any words are spoken. The ‘emo’ Count Orsino wears clothing that drapes along with his languid personality. Olivia fights between the Puritanical and the Princess. Each costume piece felt like they all belonged even though it was never one time period or another. It is this amazing bit of cohesion and color story. Apollo Mark Weaver (Scenic Designer) creates these twin pillars: statues of the Greek Gods Artemis and Apollo. They hover over the action of the play, mediating and giving the audience a grounding, a guiding force, and ultimately hope. They are strong throughout the silliness and present through the sorrows.
Trent Dahlin (left) as Feste and Sarah Hollis (right) as Viola in the Utah Shakespeare Festival’s 2019 production of Twelfth Night. (Photo by Karl Hugh. Copyright Utah Shakespeare Festival 2019.)
René Thornton Jr. as Orsino in the Utah Shakespeare Festival’s 2019 production of Twelfth Night. (Photo by Karl Hugh. Copyright Utah Shakespeare Festival 2019.)
Michael Pasquini (Lighting Designer) has fun with time period. There are soft projections that give an idea of the Greek while playing with brighter colors. He sets tone and always seems to add a sense of gaiety to the action. Lindsay Jones (Sound Designer/Original Music Composer) just plays. Often the scene changes go with a musical queue that feels like contemporary pop music played on the lute and violin. Then in another instance we are using the tabor in traditional strokes. Together it creates a seamless harmony of action. All the designers allowed themselves to not be one thing or another but instead bits and pieces of lightness to coincide with the joy (and frustration) of falling in love.
Sam White (Director) creates a fantastical world where sister can be mistaken for brother and love conquers all. In the souvenir program, White writes about how reading Shakespeare was meant as her mother’s punishment for her love of listening to rap music. If this is a result of rap music, let’s have more of it.
In this production, White captures the wonder and simplicity, goofiness and exaggeration of being a young teenager in love. She hearkens back to her first experiences with Shakespeare and gives the audience a joyful romp through fictional Illyria in a way that is sure to entertain. Never has Twelfth Night been so deliriously in love with being in love. You cannot leave the theater and not feel sheer joy from the experience. This is one production not to miss at the Utah Shakespeare Festival this year.
CONTENT ADVISORY
Twelfth Night is one of Shakespeare’s most loved comedies. It includes Shakespeare’s usual puns and innuendo but is suitable for all audiences.
*Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage managers in the United States.
Utah Shakespeare Festival presents Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare.
June 29 – September 7, 2019
195 W Center Street, Cedar City, Utah. 84720
Engelstad Shakespeare Theatre
Contact: 1-800-PLAYTIX
Tickets: $56
Ticket Website
Utah Shakespeare Festival Facebook Page
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