The Muhlenberg College Department of Theatre & Dance production of a musical adaptation of William Shakespeare\u2019s \u201cTwelfth Night\u201d is brilliant.<\/p>\n
To see the musical adaptation by Kwame Kwei-Armah and Shaina Taub of the Shakespeare classic, is to see \u201cTwelfth Night\u201d with new eyes.<\/p>\n
The Kwame Kwei-Armah and Shaina Taub version debuted in 2018\u2019s \u201cShakespeare in the Park,\u201d Delacorte Theater, Central Park, New York City, as part of the Public Theater\u2019s \u201cPublic Works Project.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Lehigh Valley debut of the Kwame Kwei-Armah and Shaina Taub musical version of \u201cTwelfth Night\u201d was directed by Muhlenberg College Professor of Theater James Peck with care, compassion and conviviality.<\/p>\n
Moreover, the show was sheer fun with a lot of heart by a fabulous cast of Muhlenberg students.<\/p>\n
\u201cTwelfth Night\u201d is among Shakespeare\u2019s most treasured works. It has the de Rigueur Shakespeare tropes: mistaken identity, gender disguise, desert island, mocking the socially-mighty and (no spoiler here after 424 years or so since its first performance circa 1602 during \u201cCandlemas,\u201d the conclusion of the Christian liturgical year) a happy ending with a double wedding.<\/p>\n
You don\u2019t need to be wed to \u201cTwelfth Night.\u201d You don\u2019t even need to understand it, to revel in it. In the Muhlenberg production, it borders on a rave on a far-off island.<\/p>\n
As with so many of Shakespeare\u2019s works, a template, canvas, landscape is only the beginning for director, actors, scenic designer et al\u2019s myriad interpretations to fit the mood of the times, musings of the imagination, and to plumb the depths of Shakespeare\u2019s words, characters and storyline.<\/p>\n
\u201cTwelfth Night\u201d is, of course, again as with many of Shakespeare\u2019s works, noted for several famous catch-phrases, none more so than \u201cIf music be the food of love, play on.\u201d<\/p>\n
In some productions of \u201cTwelfth Night,\u201d that directive is taken up by a strolling troubadour timidly strumming a guitar. Not so in the Muhlenberg production.<\/p>\n
Shaina Taub wrote the music and lyrics for a fully-realized score of raucous pop-rock-jazz-funk songs performed by a seven-piece band, including Music Director-Conductor Ashley Hiester, bolstered by Sound Designer Minjae Kim, worthy of an album-release party.<\/p>\n
And what a party it was on the stage of the Dorothy Hess Baker Theatre, Trexler Pavilion for Theatre & Dance, Muhlenberg College, Allentown, where \u201cTwelfth Night,\u201d at 90 minutes with no intermission, ran April 23-26. The April 24 performance was seen for this review.<\/p>\n
The truly stunning set by co-scenic designers You-Shin Chen and Ly C. Tamburri-Murry, depicts Illyria, where Viola washed up on shore, is anything but washed-up.<\/p>\n
Backdropped by an offset sun-spray mid-century modern influenced sunflower windmill comet billboard medallion with blazing rays (that light up, no less), outlines of palm trees, three bandbox striped frames, buildings and two-step platform (with a set piece flying perfectly in place), in pink, orange, purple, blue and yellow pastels with signs, including in the shape of surfboards, proclaiming \u201cIf music be the food of love, play on!\u201d Now that\u2019s a stage set.<\/p>\n
Lighting Designer Haley Brown keeps the set island-bright. Costume Designer Rebecca Kanach has outfitted the cast in fabulous thrift-shop inspired chic.<\/p>\n
Choreographer Noel Price-Bracey keeps the cast hoppin\u2019 and lockin\u2019 and poppin.\u2019 This is \u201cTwelfth Night\u201d on spring break. It\u2019s Barbie\u2019s \u201cTwelfth Night.\u201d<\/p>\n
The songs\u2019 lyrics provide keen insight into the source material, expand upon themes and deepen one\u2019s understanding of the emotional core of the characters, inspiring one to re-read Shakespeare\u2019s words and see this musical interpretation again (sigh … if only).<\/p>\n
The cast is in uniformly good voice, in solos, duets and chorus.<\/p>\n
The show opens forthrightly with \u201cPlay On\u201d by Noelle Simone (Feste), Iris Jordan (Viola), Dami Shote (Orsino), Sophia Betit (Olivia) and the Illyrians.<\/p>\n
The Illyrians carry on magnificently with \u201cWord on the Street.\u201d They are a Greek Chorus of gleeful dancers and singers.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf You Were My Beloved\u201d by Iris Jordan (Viola), Sophia Betit (Olivia) and Dami Shote (Orsino) is a beautiful love song beautifully rendered.<\/p>\n
\u201cViola\u2019s Soliloquy\u201d is a lovely lament by Iris Jordan (Viola).<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re the Worst\u201d displays the musical\u2019s often laugh-out-loud hilarity by Noelle Simone (Feste), Addison Kayne Hite (Andrew), Jules Idigbe (Fabian), Caden Dowgin (Sir Toby Belch), Faith Miller (Maria), Johnny Galletti (Malvolio) and the chorus of Illyrians.<\/p>\n
The musical has many fine songs, especially \u201cIs This Not Love,\u201d sung with emotional reverence by Noelle Simone (Feste).<\/p>\n
There\u2019s no rest for the show\u2019s main figure of fun in \u201cGreatness\u201d by Johnny Galletti (Malvolio), a show-stopper if there ever was.<\/p>\n
\u201cEyes of Another\u201d celebrates the musical \u201cTwelfth Night\u201d insights, that of seeing another person\u2019s viewpoint, as sung by Iris Jordan (Viola), Dami Shote (Orsino), Sophia Betit (Olivia), Alec Gould (Sebastian), Noelle Simone (Feste), Johnny Galletti (Malvolio), Jason Akwei (Antonio) and the Illryians, giving the show and audience a wonderful sendoff.<\/p>\n
Under the direction of James Peck, this superb production of a full-fledged musical \u201cTwelfth Night\u201d is a \u201cTwelfth Night\u201d to end all. And that\u2019s a great place to begin.<\/p>\n
Information: https:\/\/www.muhlenberg.edu\/muhlenberg-now\/twelfth-night-celebration\/<\/p>\n
PHOTO BY PHOTO BY MARCO CALDERONFrom left: Noelle Simone (Feste), Faith Miller (Maria), Caden Dowgin (Sir Toby Belch), Dami Shote (Orsino), Iris Jordan (Viola), Sophia Betit (Olivia), Alec Gould (Sebastian), Jules Idigbe (Fabian), Addison Kayne Hite (Andrew) and members of the ensemble, \u201cTwelfth Night,\u201d Muhlenberg College Department of Theater & Dance.<\/p>\n
PHOTO BY MARCO CALDERONFrom left: Johnny Galletti (Malvolio), Alec Gould (Sebastian), Sophia Betit (Olivia), Faith Miller (Maria), Caden Dowgin (Sir Toby Belch), Addison Kayne Hite (Andrew), \u201cTwelfth Night,\u201d Muhlenberg College Department of Theater & Dance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Muhlenberg College Department of Theatre & Dance production of a musical adaptation of William Shakespeare\u2019s \u201cTwelfth Night\u201d…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":180163,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[119,121,120],"class_list":["post-180162","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-allentown","tag-allentown","tag-allentown-headlines","tag-allentown-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/180162","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=180162"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/180162\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/180163"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=180162"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=180162"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=180162"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}