Shipwrecked on the island of Illyria, Viola and her twin brother Sebastian are separated, each fearing the other lost to the sea. Viola disguises herself as a boy and wades into a complex romantic triangle with Duke Orsino and the Countess Olivia. New York’s innovative Fiasco Theater brings their hallmark style and expansive imagination to one of Shakespeare’s funniest and poetic comedies.

Twelfth Night, Or What You Will has been called Shakespeare’s perfect play. In the same spirit, I’d call Fiasco Theater’s production of Twelfth Night (directed by Noah Brody and Ben Steinfeld at Classic Stage Company) a perfect staging of a perfect play. In fact, rarely have I seen a play this perfect. Shakespeare’s dialogue is given full reign, conveyed with clarity and warmth. As a result, the audience seems to catch every joke, laughing almost non-stop throughout the action. Where the directors have added their own touches – such as in the spirited musical numbers that open and pepper the drama – it corresponds perfectly with the tone of Twelfth Night. The story involves shipwreck, separated twins, disguises, thwarted love, carousing, and some of Shakespeare’s most endearing characters. Those adventure-esque elements are heightened by a set that vaguely resembles both a ship and an old ancestral home: wooden furniture, ropes threading the ceiling, and rustic metal chandeliers that ascend and descend via hoisted ropes. Similarly, the costumes seem to spring from a place between reality and fantasy. Though they have a vaguely 1940s  feel, more fanciful pieces like Duke Orsino’s ve …Read more