Twelfth Night' is hilarious but hectic

Walking into the Balch Arena from Boston's bizarre "spring" weather last weekend, I was immediately swept out of the cold and into the atmosphere of a late summer garden party. White paper lanterns weightlessly dangle above an understated multi-leveled stage, colorfully painted with earth tones. After I realized that I was still bundled in untimely winter clothes and entirely indoors, it was hard to tell where I was supposed to be. This is the setting for the Department of Drama and Dance's production of Shakespeare's classic comedy, Twelfth Night, Or What You Will.

The play focuses on a love triangle between a shipwrecked woman named Viola, a nobleman named Orsino, and Lady Olivia. Viola disguises herself as a man named Cesario in order to work for Orsino. However, she then falls in love with him. Orsino, however, is in love with Lady Olivia, who in turn falls in love with 'Casario,' completing the love triangle. While this is the main plot, there are many other things going on as well. The play is a typical romantic comedy and contains all the standard elements of the time period: mistaken identity, separated twins, and disguising gender, all of which at one time or another serve as obstacles which the characters must overcome to find true love.

Directed by Don Weingust, the play flows along swiftly; however, some of the transitions were a little choppy. Shakespeare is difficult enough in its own right to understand, and this quick-paced rendition can be quite disorienting if you are not already familiar with the extremely complicated plot line.

The lead roles of Olivia, Viola, Mariah, Sebastian, and Toby Belch were well-cast and well played. Highlights included Charlie Semine as Sebastian. He was the most realistic actor and made a part that could have seemed ridiculous and minor compelling and amusing. Telly Kousakis was hysterical as Toby Belch and Chris Bonewitz was an equally funny Sir Andrew. Laura Semine was a charming Mariah. Lisa Birnbaum was well cast as Olivia, although her performance resembled her character in A Little Night Music. Sarah Kauderer's portrayal of Viola was complex and realistic.

Unfortunately, within the tricky portrayal of several complicated characters and subplots, the show at times was confusing and moved too fast. It feels like you could be watching two completely different plays because of the confusing transitions between the parts with Mariah and Malvolio and those with Olivia, Viola and Orsino. Toward the end of the show, there are a few minor characters that seemed to have been randomly thrown into the mix, which lack the in depth direction provided for the leads and at times seem farcical and improvisational.

Shakespeare's poetic but unfamiliar language requires an enormous amount of comprehension on the part of the actors and requires that lines be delivered so the audience can comprehend them as well. While it was clear that the actors had a clear concept of what they were saying, as someone who had a very vague knowledge of Twelfth Night, it took me quite some time to understand what was happening on stage.

However, the actors' comprehension, as well as their highly physical acting style, finally clued me in to the storyline, although I was not helped by their speed. Many of the characters spoke very quickly, making it nearly impossible to follow their extended monologues. What was even more confusing, although amusing was the addition of voices and accents that left the audience feeling utterly lost, but ultimately entertained by the funny, gibberish-speaking people on stage.

The play overall was well acted and very aesthetically pleasing, although for a typical college production, two hours of Shakespeare without an intermission was a little much. Nevertheless, the play's fantastical characters, set, and costumes offered an ambiance of warmth, romance, and fancy -- not to mention a much-needed break from the cold.