“What You Will, Or The Twelfth Night” embodies playfulness at its peak

“Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them,”  Duke Orsino. 

I don’t know which of those three statements was true for the actors and producers of “What You Will, Or The Twelfth Night,” but each actor was great at bringing their comedic characters to life. 

“What You Will, Or The Twelfth Night” stood out as a playful play, with creativity infused throughout every aspect. 

All of the actors owned their characters and played up their humor. Their animated acting was amusing; dramatic falls, funny faces, dancing, and silly accents made each character entertaining to watch. 

I also enjoyed watching the characters bond with each other. For example, there were a couple of drinking and party scenes, and watching the characters laugh, slap each other on the backs, and dance together lifted my mood. 

The actors also embodied a playful attitude by taking up space and making full use of the theater. For example, in one scene Malvolia, played by Amelia McNeil, was hung, and a couple of the crew members tied her up in one of the curtains as she wailed and cried. 

In another scene, Sir Andrew Aguecheek, played by Regan Bobich, latched onto one of the poles next to the front row and reached out his hand in desperation; if someone had been sitting in the seat next to the pole, they may have been clawed, but that just goes to show how expansive the actors’ movements were. 

The characters’ costumes and makeup were just as playful as their animated acting. Several characters were decked out in vibrant pinks, oranges, purples, reds, and yellows. 

In addition, Viola, played by Finley Hopmann, had beard-like makeup that looked quite realistic, and towards the end of the play, Malvolia entered the stage with black makeup running down her cheeks.

Not to mention, many of the characters were just flat-out hilarious. Sir Andrew Aguecheek was the classic Jester archetype. Feste, played by Maddux Masopust, also had a goofy presence and reminded me of King George from Hamilton; both characters offered that much-needed comic relief. 

I left the theater jovially; if that’s not a sign of the play’s greatness, I don’t know what is.