On Friday November 13, 2014 Colonia High School debuted their fall play, Twelfth Night. Directors Ms. Candida Montalvo and Mrs. Darragh Spiewack, along with the talented cast, made this play come to life.

Twelfth Night is a play written by the William Shakespeare in 1601. Taken place in Illyria, it centers on Viola (played by Tiffanie Arokiaswamy.) Viola is a woman who winds up on an island after her ship is lost at sea. When she washes ashore, she believes that her twin brother, Sebastian (played by Josh Pineda) has perished in the shipwreck. Viola is saved by a sea captain on shore and then disguises herself as a man named “Cesario.” She begins to work for Orsino, Duke of Illyria.

Duke Orsino (played by Kurt Jackson) wishes to marry Olivia, a wealthy countess. But, she refuses to see any man until seven years have passed after her father’s and brother’s death. Duke Orsino uses ‘Cesario’ as sort of a middle man in his ploy to win over Olivia (played by Julia Paradizova.) In the process, Olivia falls in love with ‘Cesario’ who is actually Viola in disguise. At the same time, Viola has fallen in love with Duke Orsino.

Olivia has a pretentious steward named Malvolio (played by Matthew Cowan), who believes that Olivia is in love with him after her other employees conspire for him to believe so. Olivia’s uncle Sir Toby (played by Wilmond Vano), his friend Sir Andrew (played by Lexii Turk), her servants, Maria (played by Sarah Gregory)  and Fabian (played by Devon Savage), and her fool Feste (played by Izilda Jorge) all hatch this mischievous plan together. Maria writes a forged love letter to Malvolio from Olivia. Within the contents of this letter, it asks Malvolio to act foolish and wear strange clothing. Malvolio ends up locked up behind bars because he has gone insane.

While this has all transpired, it is learned that Viola’s brother, Sebastian is not dead after all. He survived the shipwreck and landed on Illyria as well. Olivia sees Sebastian, thinking he is Viola disguised as ‘Cesario,’ and asks him to marry her. Sebastian agrees, and they privately marry.

‘Cesario’ and Duke go to Olivia’s house, where she reveals that she and ‘Cesario’ have been married. Duke Orsino is very upset, but then Sebastian surfaces, and all is revealed. It is revealed that ‘Cesario,’ is actually Viola disguised as a man. Duke Orsino then realizes that he is love with Viola, and both couples live happily ever after.

A modern twist on a classic, CHS put on a wonderful production. For the past four years the Colonia High School Theatre Department has put on a play in the fall. In their directing debut, Montalvo and Spiewak produced Almost Maine last year. Prior to this directing team, Mrs. Stephanie Platko and Mrs. Melissa Abrams directed The Yellow Boat and It’s a Wonderful Life on Colonia’s stage. Platko, director of the spring musical, will be holding auditions the week of December 15th for Carrie. Tickets will go on sale for Carrie on March 1st and the musical will run from March 26th through March 29th.

The costumes were present-day clothing that could be seen in the halls of Colonia High School. Skinny jeans, combat boots, flats, leggings and dresses were included in their apparel. This made the play feel a little more accessible as we could identify with their attire.

It was evident with the reaction from the audience that the characters pulled off their comedic roles.

Although there are some modern twists to this play, it is still spoken in Shakespearean language. This was confusing. It is advised that you have some background on the story line, as it can be confusing at times. The 2006 movie, She’s the Man, is based off Twelfth Night. The same character names are used, and the storyline is the same. It is much easier to understand because they don’t speak in Shakespearean language. I would suggest brushing up on your Shakespeare or watch this movie, so the play is easier to understand and more enjoyable.

The best part of the play was the actors themselves. They put a lot of time and effort into this production, and it was evident. All actors were great in their roles and played them well. They spoke clearly, so everything they said was heard.