It was a beautiful, breezy evening as the sun set behind the stage of director Dan Gately’s production of “Twelfth Night, or, What You Will,” or, as most students and Turlockers know it, Shakespeare Under the Stars.
Hundreds of show goers of all ages entered the University Amphitheatre and spread out their blankets and chairs to take in the classic comedy.
The pre-show began with light 1920s music playing over the speakers, but the entertainment lied in the actors and actresses making their rounds.
Dressed in their 20s garb, they strutted up and down the aisles in character as they ushered in audience members. One actress was particularly inviting as she coyly welcomed patrons to “join the party.”
As show time grew closer, there was an energetic hum in the amphitheatre. Our anticipation was soon rewarded as the play opened with a lively tango.
This was not the only musical number of the night; Gately promised a lot of music, and he certainly delivered.
Sprinkled throughout the entire play were songs from various genres, spanning multiple decades of music. The show was reminiscent of Baz Luhrmann’s movies as it conflated modern music with a Renaissance play – but in this case, it did not  work. The music, though it fit the themes of the play loosely, distracted from the 1920s setting.
What was really disappointing, however, was Gately’s unnecessary change of Shakespeare’s original character Antonio to Antonia. Though Gately most likely did this to play up the romantic undertones of Antonio’s affections for Sebastian, it completely changed Sebastian’s character to have him return Antonia’s feelings, making him the sleazeball who led Antonia on only to abandon her when a prettier woman came along.
Not to mention the fact that it leaves Antonia as a loose end at the end of the play, where originally Malvolio was the only character who was left without a happy ending.
As a whole, the production was exceedingly entertaining, and some of the special effects (the backdrops projected onto the walls of the set, for example) were almost as significant to the story as the dialogue.
However, it was the cast of energetic actors who stole the show. They could have been acting in front of a plain, black curtain and they still would have had the crowd roaring with laughter. In particular, Sir Andrew Aguecheek, played by Kenny Roderick, and Sir Toby Belch, played by Paul Romero were a comical sensation. Their scenes with Malvolio (Colton Dennis), Mariah (Murri Royal Brown), Maria (Paige Jenkins), Fabian (Michael Souto), and Feste (Ethan Hennes), were crowd favorites.
Out of the “lovers,” Laura Dickinson-Turner’s Viola was a brilliant beacon on stage, growing brighter with each comical and dramatic line. At times, she outshone Duke Orsino, her opposite played by Joel Bond – who spent much of the play dressed like Hugh Hefner in red satin pajamas and a blue smoking jacket.
Katherine Brokaw’s role as Olivia was a nostalgic reminder of silent movie starlets with her graceful, dramatic movements about the stage. Her opposite, Sebastian (Luke Gonzales), also gave a memorable performance as Viola’s long-lost twin brother. His exchange with his sister upon reuniting with her was especially touching, evoking several “awws” from audience members around me.
All in all, I could not look away – at least I didn’t want to. It was a sacrifice to deprive myself of even the few seconds it took for me to look down and make my notes during the play.
If this is the caliber of productions to come in the University Amphitheatre, I look forward to returning to next year’s production of Shakespeare Under the Stars.