http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2009/06/26/theater/20090626_TWELFTH_SLIDESHOW_index.html
‘Twelfth Night’
The Shakespeare in the Park production of "Twelfth Night" opened Thursday at the Delacorte Theater
in Central Park.
"The Viola of the gamine movie actress Anne Hathaway is the marquee attraction that will surely
make the production the summer's buzziest theater ticket."
"Mr. Esparza's exasperated glower and wry line readings give the character an appealing, underdog
humanity."
"The turbulent feelings erupting so suddenly in Olivia's heart are rendered
with a lovely glow in Ms. McDonald's lustrous performance."
Audra McDonald, left, as Countess Olivia, with Anne Hathaway in male disguise as the page Cesario.
Jay O. Sanders as Sir Toby Belch with Julie White as Maria.
Jon Patrick Walker plays Fabian.
From left, Ms. McDonald, Stark Sands as Sebastian, Mr. Esparza and Ms. Hathaway.
"The dark strains in the music, the complicated colors in all the major performances, even the dependable
uncertainty of the weather in Central Park, where for much of June it seemed indeed as if 'the rain it raineth
every day' -- all contribute to the moving sense that the richest joys are hard won, the triumph of love just
a hair's breadth away from the heartbreak of loss."
http://theater2.nytimes.com/2009/06/26/theater/reviews/26night.html?hpwTHEATER REVIEW | 'TWELFTH NIGHT'
I Love You, You’re Perfect.
You’re a Girl? 
Anne Hathaway and Raúl Esparza in the Shakespeare in the Park production of "Twelfth Night,"
at the Delacorte Theater.
By CHARLES ISHERWOOD
Published: June 26, 2009“Most wonderful.” The exclamation of joyous surprise that bursts from the lips of Countess Olivia at the climax of “Twelfth Night,” when she discovers that her new husband appears to have divided himself in two, seems an apt reaction to the scintillating new production of Shakespeare’s romantic comedy that opened Thursday night at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park.
“Twelfth Night” is a perennial favorite, and with its multifaceted plot mixing sweetness, sadness and silliness it is also about as surefire as Shakespeare plays get. If the romances are dreary, the comedy may still crackle. And vice versa. But this polished staging, expertly directed by
Daniel Sullivan, is the most consistently pleasurable the city has seen in at least a decade. And it is certainly one of the most accomplished Shakespeare in the Park productions the Public Theater has fielded in some time. Incidentally — or perhaps not — the varied talents of its all-American lead cast help restore faith in the city’s ability to cast Shakespeare in depth.
All together now: most wonderful!
The Viola of the gamine movie actress
Anne Hathaway is the marquee attraction that will surely make this production the summer’s buzziest theater ticket. But among the many pleasures of her performances is its effortless modesty. On screen or onstage Ms. Hathaway possesses the unmistakable glow of a natural star, but she dives smoothly and with obvious pleasure into the embrace of a cohesive ensemble cast.
A frankness of manner and a brisk emotional clarity are the hallmarks of her performance. As Viola moves from heartbroken over her brother Sebastian’s apparent drowning to heartsore over her love for Duke Orsino (
Raúl Esparza), who enlists her to help woo his own love, Countess Olivia (
Audra McDonald), Ms. Hathaway traces the transformations with an open manner and a bright humor that feel spontaneous and unforced.
I probably don’t need to tell you how lovely she looks in male disguise as the page Cesario, with her dark hair in a floppy crop. Hard as Ms. Hathaway tried to look harsh in “Rachel Getting Married,” her savage scowl could never hide the freshness of her beauty. Judging by the stylish costumes from
Jane Greenwood, Mr. Sullivan has set the play around the early 19th century. In her smart, brass-buttoned blue military jacket and boots Ms. Hathaway looks like a young duke who has stepped boldly forth from a classic British portrait of the era, a bright pink bloom on his pallid cheek.
It’s true that Ms. Hathaway’s speaking of the verse could benefit from a more sophisticated lyric impulse. The wit and meaning are delivered purely while the music is a little muted. But that is a small flaw in a performance of vivid passions in the play’s crucial role, which binds together the various journeys ending in lovers’ meetings.
These include the confusions of Olivia’s instant adoration for Viola — when she is dressed as Cesario, that is. The turbulent feelings erupting so suddenly in Olivia’s heart are rendered with a lovely glow in Ms. McDonald’s affecting performance. She is among the most accomplished musical theater performers of her generation (and gets to sing a little here, fans will be happy to know), but her musicianship doesn’t stop at the level of the verse. In the arcing emotional phrases of the role — Olivia’s snapping to life under the charm of Cesario’s testy challenge, or her instant wilting at “his” rejection — Ms. McDonald limns the surging music of love’s unfolding with touching truth.
Mr. Esparza too is a fine musician who is given a chance to display his vocal prowess in song. But the roguish appeal of his performance derives primarily from his glum humor. Until he discovers the truth about the page to whom he finds himself naturally attracted, Orsino can’t catch a break.
Mr. Esparza’s exasperated glower and wry line readings give the character an appealing, underdog humanity. Exiting the stage in a bitter mood, he is upbraided by a burst of upbeat music. Ostensibly reaching for the hand of his crossed-dressed Viola at the play’s climax, he stops short in mortification at the discovery that he is looking into the eyes of her brother, Sebastian (well played by the excellent young actor
Stark Sands, supported by the equally fine Antonio of
Charles Borland).
Music, as you may have gathered, is far from incidental to the production. The handsome score is written and performed by the “symphonic folk-rock” band
Hem. In addition to the songs — most expertly led by the gifted comic actor
David Pittu as a sour ragamuffin Feste — there is music to add color, wit, life to almost every scene, played on a mixture of strings, percussion and woodwinds, the sound evoking a distant era without straining for period authenticity.
Comedy can never be incidental to a successful production of “Twelfth Night” of course. In many cases the roistering antics of Sir Toby Belch (
Jay O. Sanders), his clueless companion Sir Andrew Aguecheek (
Hamish Linklater) and Olivia’s wily gentlewoman Maria (
Julie White) tend to overrun the proceedings, taking over the play as Sir Toby threatens to take over his niece Olivia’s household with his happy carousing. Here they are played with a vivid wooliness but none of the laboriousness that can be so grating. The sozzled staggering and actual belching of Sir Toby are precisely funny without being overbearing; Ms. White’s Maria has a delicious, earthy sparkle; and Mr. Linklater strikes sharp comic notes as he preens atop or tumbles down the steep hillocks of the grass-covered set designed by
John Lee Beatty.
Also making good use of the set’s architecture is the reliably fine
Michael Cumpsty as the ill-mannered and ill-used Malvolio. One of the funniest sight gags finds Mr. Cumpsty’s grim Dickensian pout suddenly transformed into a giddy grin, popping up in bloom on one of the hills like a mutant daisy.
Despite all the present mirth Mr. Sullivan weaves throughout the production an equally present melancholy. For much of the play’s running time it is clear that the pursuit of love is a pastime as vexing, troubled and potentially humiliating as any human endeavor, a kind of emotional shipwreck that, like real ones, can end either in disaster or salvation. The dark strains in the music, the complicated colors in all the major performances, even the dependable uncertainty of the weather in Central Park, where for much of June it seemed indeed as if “the rain it raineth every day” — all contribute to the moving sense that the richest joys are hard won, the triumph of love just a hair’s breadth away from the heartbreak of loss.
TWELFTH NIGHTBy
William Shakespeare; directed by Daniel Sullivan; sets by John Lee Beatty; costumes by Jane Greenwood; lighting by
Peter Kaczorowski; sound by Acme Sound Partners; music by Hem; wig design by
Tom Watson; fight director,
Rick Sordelet; choreography by
Mimi Lieber; production stage manager,
Stephen M. Kaus; general manager,
Andrea Nellis; associate artistic director,
Mandy Hackett; associate producer,
Jenny Gersten; director of production,
Ruth E. Sternberg. Presented by the Public Theater,
Oskar Eustis, artistic director;
Andrew D. Hamingson, executive director. Shakespeare in the Park, at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park, south of 81st Street; (212) 539-8750. Through July 12. Running time: 2 hours 45 minutes.
WITH: Raúl Esparza (Orsino),
Herb Foster (Valentine), Anne Hathaway (Viola), Jay O. Sanders (Sir Toby Belch), Julie White (Maria), Hamish Linklater (Andrew Aguecheek), David Pittu (Feste), Audra McDonald (Olivia), Michael Cumpsty (Malvolio), Charles Borland (Antonio), Stark Sands (Sebastian) and
Jon Patrick Walker (Fabian).
NEWEST READER REVIEW
A Sweet Surprise, June 19, 2009 Reviewer: I stumbled into the theater with no expectations and left floating -- it is joyous, with colorful and pitch-perfect performances. The music is so beautifully intertwined that it is worth seeing as a concert. The play successfully gathers momentum and practically brings the audience to their feet. Not to be missed!
