I'm a big fan of Shakespeare's comedies, and of musicals. So offering to combine them, by setting "Twelfth Night" in the 1930's in Harlem's Cotton Club, with Duke Orsino now more a Duke Ellington like figure, all with Duke Ellington songs, and I was sold.
First, I have to wildly compliment the set designers. They pulled out some of the theater seats, and placed round tables, with lamps, and wooden seats. I ended up seated close enough to the edge of the stage to see individual freckles on the performers faces. It did a lot to set the mood, and I can't imagine the work to make the chairs and lamps match up was small.
Next the show.
Aspiring songwriter Vy comes to New York City to meet with her Uncle who she hears knows famous composer Duke. Upon arrival she is told only men can be songwriters, so Vy says, cool, I'll just be a man then, and she disguises herself as Vy-man. Duke is bereft and unable to finish a song since songstress Lady Liv left him. So he beseeches Vy-man to go to Lady Liv and plead his case. Lady Liv is uninterested in Duke, but quite interested in Vy-man.
Meanwhile Lady Liv's staff manager Rev has been annoying the rest of the staff with his strictures, so they decide to help him re-invent himself to declare his love for Lady Liv and maybe leave them alone. Or entertain them. Or both.
While I had recently reached one the 1990's movie version, I do not have "Twelfth Night" memorized, so was not able to spot lines lifted. But the characterizations, were all there. One of the things that is true to the original is that the Duke, in his sad sack low period having been refuted by Lady Liv is, well, kind of not very interesting. We mostly only want him for Vy because Vy wants him. His sadness means the bouncier (see what I did there?) songs go to everyone else.
Some versions of Twelfth Night treat it as a messy love triangle, with a few side interests. This version gave equal standing to all four people, two of them - Duke and Rev - directing their interest at Lady Liv, Vy at the Duke, and Lady Liv at Vy. (Shakespeare loved a love square.)
It's also worth noting that Vy, rather than being shipwrecked and fearing her family lost, has, in this version, left her family back home for the big city. so she can be a
Now I've talked a lot about differences. This version was quite amazing. The performers move into the audience, at one point sitting at a table with a few, sing about the mysteries of women. One of the audience members in particular was cackling having them point at her and sing about women making little sense.
The play ends with four happy couples. The cast is stacked with folks regular DC theatergoers will recognize, including folks from Senior Class, Gun and Powder, In the Heights en Español, Aida, and Jubilee, to name a few.
Two Notes: In the performance I saw, Sean Walton played the Duke, and Ciara Hargrove played Lady Liv.
I saw a masks required version of the show, though they did let audience members bring in drinks that had been purchased at the bar.
