William Shakespeare’s

Twelfth Night

stands out as one of the Bard’s most beloved comedies, mostly because of the utter disorder the play brings to its characters. On Aug. 31 and Sept.1, the Bare Naked Theatre presented its own interpretation of the show at the Kennedy Center for Theatre and the Studio Arts (KTSA) Amphitheatre and delivered the same delightful mayhem to Hamilton’s students.

To those unfamiliar with Twelfth Night, the story focuses on the wily Viola, disguised as pageboy Cesario, separated from her twin brother Sebastian. The kicker comes when Viola falls in love with her master, who falls in love with someone else; from there, chaos ensues.

By performing outdoors, the production gained a factor that integrated the audience into the play to a new level. Since

Twelfth Night

exists in Illyria, a fictional place off the coast of the Adriatic Sea, the sloping grounds and stream near the Amphitheatre gave the actors a perfect setting for performing the play. In addition, having modern day civilization stand in as a backdrop for the centuries-old play offered a more sentimental air than a more timeless setting. It truly showed how the Bard’s work survived and resonated with audiences to the point where a production of

Twelfth Night

could make it to the modern day.

This particular version of

Twelfth Night

retained much of Shakespeare’s language and, unlike some other productions, did not shy away from the play’s themes of various gender identities and sexual attractions. Viola’s true gender identity confused more than shocked the actors in the production, and she does not reveal herself by wearing a dress or showing off long hair. She stands before Duke Orsino in pageboy clothes, short cropped hair, and knees showing, the picture of androgynous self-confidence. The portrayal of Orsino was a touching performance, showing a man still hopelessly in love with Viola despite her massive deception. When a bespectacled and melodramatic Malvolio insulted Olivia, the character of Sebastian abruptly stepped in between them, almost as if readying herself to attack Malvolio for slandering Olivia. At the very end of the play, while Duke Orsino and Viola declared their love for each other, the female Sebastian bridal carried Olivia out to applause.

The performances of every character received rancorous laughter from the audience. The actors took care not to overlook the comic reliefs from scene-to-scene, especially in the confusion of Malvolio thinking Olivia fell in love with him. The use of modern music between interludes garnered many surprised, yet delighted, remarks. Since the actors performed outside, some audience members noted the problem with catching some of the play’s lines and discerning between the characters. However, even without these elements, one could see through the body language of the performers that the narrative possessed comic elements that resulted in a wild and wonderful conclusion. Once the play ended, many audience members talked about how surprised they were to find

Twelfth Night

such a hilarious story, despite Shakespeare writing it centuries ago. Thus, Bare Naked Theatre pulled off the difficult tasks of maintaining a faithful production of

Twelfth Night

and continuing Shakespeare’s legacy for others to learn more about the Bard’s work.