SHAKESPEARE is my Homeboy

Production concepts for Twelfth Night

One of the most problematic aspects of Twelfth Night in contemporary production which seems always left always unresolved at the end of the play is the role of Malvolio and the way that he has been treated.

The weddings at the end of the play (with the exception of Toby and Maria) seem forced (as the decreed weddings of Angelo and Mariana, and Lucio in Measure for Measure). Are they really happy or are they just settling?

repeated theme: playing tricks on people. eg Viola playing a trick on Olivia (in disguise). Maria, Toby and Fabian playing tricks on Sir Andrew and Malvolio.

This is a play of lust (or lovesickness) and not love. It is about satisfying physical urges and pleasures, not about the higher exultations of love. The duke's protestations at the beginning of the play should seem pathetic or comical. The title of the play: What you WILL suggests satisfaction of sexual and primal appetites.

Concept: Carnival (festival) time on the island. The world turned upside down.

Place: The island of Ilyria - a tropical island paradise. Beautiful, sunny, warm, relaxed.

Sounds: waves and calypso music, laughter and flirtatious giggles

Seasons: Starts in summer, moves to fall. The end of parties and festival, and everyone is more serious at the end.

Backround actions, setting the mood:
Drinking
Singing, (fool? And others)
Fighting
Pranks
Kissing/sex on the beach.
Men and women pursuing each other, and scouting each other.

Costumes:
Hawaiian (or tropical shirts)
Costumes from a costume party or masquerade
Sir Andrew and Toby coming home drunk from a costume party
Viola takes her disguise from costumes left strewn and discarded on the beach from the shipwreck. She takes an officers uniform.

A whole lot of lusting going on:
Orsino lusts for Olivia
Malvolio lusts for Olivia
Toby lusts for Maria
Antonio lusts for Sebastian
Olivia lusts for Cesario
Cesario lusts for the Duke

There's also a lot of lovesickness and lonliness:
Lovesick longing: Olivia Orsino, Cesario (Malvolio?)
Lonliness: Malvolio, Orsino

Opening of the play:
The play should open with the storm/shipwreck scene.

Following, there should be a sunrise and costume party on the beach. Lots of singing, flirting, sex and fun. Everyone having a good time. Not Malvolio, he wants to be somewhere else.

Duke enters admiring all of the pretty women, and flirting. Duke professing his love for Olivia on the beach, full of beautiful woman whom he admires and lusts after. We realize this isn't real love, he's just a horny passionate guy. He should possibly see Viola (as a woman) and clearly be attracted to her. We see her exit, and reenter disguised as Cesario - a man.

Questions for production:

Where is the sadness amongst all this partying and celebration? It's from the loneliness and desperation of certain lonely characters, such as The Duke, Cesario, Olivia and Malvolio.

Is Antonio in love with Sebastian? What does that mean for the play?

Is the torture of Malvolio funny? Is it part of the Carnival fun? Or are you sad for him?

What if Malvolio's torture is racially motivated because he is different (racially) from the others (Toby, Andrew and Maria), and that is one reason they choose to pick on him. Malvolio is also an ambitious social climber and kiss-ass, which the others are resentful of, and so decide to prank him.

Class/racial differences: What if the servant characters (or just Malvolio?) were a different ethnic background, or native Islanders? This would heighten the social, class differences in the play. Different class and race from the others. As "the other" they would be treated poorly and isolated. I think it would add an interesting dimension to the Malvolio treatment, and also explain why Toby and Maria have to be so hush hush about their romance, and run away alone together without telling anyone.

What about Feste? Make him/her a singing fun character who watches everything, and knows whats going on with everyone on the island. Possibly a calypso singer.

Shipwreck to open the play should be visually stunning and stylized to open the play, and draw the audience in. Olivia is helpless and scared. Use silk or fine cloth to represent the waves of the storm. Sound and lights to further the effect of the storm.

This is not just a play of mistaken identities. Shakespeare had already written that (Comedy of Errors). This play has more substance, and is much more mature and bittersweet.

The low characters are the smartest, and are controlling the action for most of the play. World turned upside down. Maybe they wear fine clothes, and the upper class characters dress like servants?

Sir Andrew is lovable, but a hanger-on. Toby's disdain is evident. (he calls him an "ass-head, a coxcomb in act V) Why are they such friends? Toby is lonely without him.

Perhaps open the play with Viola and her brother happy together then separated during the storm?

Olivia and Orsino-terribly serious and self involved. The others are lighter
Is Malvolio pathetic in his "I will be revenged on the whole lot of you?" or should it be harmless and hilarious?

Pacing of the play must be relentlessly fast pasted. The play must never drag.

Try to make the comic characters (ie Aguecheek) real. Sympathetic, not over the top comical. You feel sorry for Andrew and you laugh with him because he's a lovable dolt being taken advantage of. Although Shakespeare may try to present Malvolio somewhat unsympathetically, I think the same is true for Aguecheek and Malvolio. They're both taken advantage of.

Play the women sensitively, not just strong.