When a young shipwrecked immigrant named Viola takes a chance on the “wet foot, dry foot” policy of the mid-nineties and washes up amidst the shore of glitzy Illyria, Florida, she finds herself a stranger in a fabulously strange new land. Thinking her twin brother has drowned, Viola throws herself into a new gig as assistant to Orsino, a wealthy Floridian with a serious case of love sickness for a wealthy lady, Olivia. Having disguised herself as a boy to become Orsino’s right hand man, Viola (now Cesario) is tasked with delivering his adoring valentines. But as Viola woos in her boss’s name, she falls head over spiky heels for the man himself, while Olivia turns her affections to the intriguing young messenger boy, Cesario (also Viola).

Set to the rhythms of house, Cuban and nineties beats, Saheem Ali directs this colorful comedy about the power of new people and new experiences that throw the world into beautiful disarray, and open hearts and minds to the possibility of love.

Featuring Stephen S. Chacon (Sebastian), Michael Bradley Cohen (Orsino, Sir Andrew Aguecheek), Danaya Esperanza (Viola), Ceci Fernandez (Olivia), Christopher Ryan Grant (Sir Toby Belch), Donnetta Lavinia Grays (Feste), David Ryan Smith (Malvolio), Aneesh Sheth (Maria), and Michael Thurber (Antonio).

The experience of director Saheem Ali’s fantastic and high energy production of Shakespeare’s comedy Twelfth Night with the Public Theater’s Mobile Unit has a lot to do with the peripatetic nature of the company. This initiative of the Public Theater was born from founder Joseph Papp’s belief that culture is for everyone, not just those who can afford it. The company travels to prisons, libraries, and community centers in all five boroughs to present theater for free to people who may not have access to it. No longer on tour, Twelfth Night is still free but is now enjoying a residency at the Public’s LuEsther Theater through May 14. The story begins with a shipwreck involving twin brother and sister, updated to become immigrants from a Spanish speaking country, who each believe the other to be drowned. Viola (the excellent Danaya Esperanza) lands on the shores of Illyria and finds work as assistant to Duke Orsino (Michael Bradley Cohen), disguising herself as a boy named Cesario. Her brother, Sebastian (Stephen S. Chacon), and his compatriot, Antonio (Michael Thurber), find themselves on the other side of Illyria and set out to discover this new land. The wealthy Orsino is set on w …Read more