Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
A Noise Within Stumbles With Uneven "Twelfth Night"
The cast of "Twelfth Night" at A Noise Within. Photo: Craig Schwartz
()
There are so many great Los Angeles theatre companies stuck in tiny spaces that literally stifle their growth, and, worse than that, companies that have no physical homes at all, whose every production is a small triumph against encroaching entropy. This is why A Noise Within succeeding in its goal of building its own theatre in Pasadena is such an impressive achievement, and a sign that sometimes years of hard work do pay off. Unfortunately, their first show in the new space, Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, is a bit disappointing. It's not bad, and a couple of the performances are deft, but it rarely shows us what A Noise Within is truly capable of when the company is on its game.
Viola (Angela Gulner) has just survived a shipwreck and believes that her twin brother was killed in the disaster. To get a job, she disguises herself as a man, "Cesario," and gets a job with local duke Orsino (Robertson Dean). Orsino's in unrequited love with the noblewoman Olivia (Abby Craden), so he sends Cesario to plead his case. Unexpectedly, Olivia falls for Cesario, while the real Viola finds herself smitten with Orsino. Meanwhile, the triumvirate of Olivia's lady-in-waiting Maria (Deborah Strang), her uncle Toby (Apollo Dukakis) and Toby's friend Andrew (Jeremy Rabb) pull a prank convincing Olivia's uptight and self-righteous steward Malvolio (Geoff Elliott) that his mistress is in love with him.
Gulner is proficient with the language, but her performance seems emotionally muted--her Viola never seems remotely interested in Orsino. Dean, however, is just right as the aforementioned duke, affecting a combination of courtly politeness and raw longing for Olivia that explains why he'd miss the presence of Viola hiding in plain sight. Craden is excellent as Olivia, initially chilly and formidable, then suddenly giddy and twitterpated as she swoons for Cesario. She brings the play to life every time she takes the stage, and her comedic timing is flawless.
Strang gives Maria an acerbic authority that's fun to watch, and Dukakis is properly blustery (if a bit one note) as the drunken Toby. Rabb is mildly amusing as the cowardly Andrew, but Anthony Mark Barrow underplays Feste the fool to the point that he barely registers. Elliott, made up to look very much like Riff-Raff from Rocky Horror, gets a lot of humor just from his lugubrious line readings, yet he seems to play the part slightly more for pathos than the role perhaps warrants.
Support for LAist comes from
Julia Rodriguez-Elliott's direction has reconceived the play as happening in what seems like mid-twentieth-century Cuba, and this regrettably misfires. The new setting doesn't mesh in any notable way with the play, and is in fact a distraction. The lackluster dance sequences feel awkwardly shoehorned in to provide a sense of liveliness, but instead they just needlessly pad the show out. Kurt Boetcher's set is blandly minimal--a few pillars, props and a backdrop--but Angela Balogh Calin's costumes, particularly Craden's increasingly more colorful outfits, bring some brightness to the proceedings. A Noise Within's achievement in opening their new theater is commendable, and I eagerly look forward to this new chapter for the group, but with this Twelfth Night they seem to have stumbled out of the gate.
Twelfth Night plays at A Noise Within through December 16, 2011. Tickets are available online.
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
Censorship has long been controversial. But lately, the issue of who does and doesn’t have the right to restrict kids’ access to books has been heating up across the country in the so-called culture wars. -
With less to prove than LA, the city is becoming a center of impressive culinary creativity.
-
Nearly 470 sections of guardrailing were stolen in the last fiscal year in L.A. and Ventura counties.
-
Monarch butterflies are on a path to extinction, but there is a way to support them — and maybe see them in your own yard — by planting milkweed.
-
With California voters facing a decision on redistricting this November, Surf City is poised to join the brewing battle over Congressional voting districts.
-
The drug dealer, the last of five defendants to plead guilty to federal charges linked to the 'Friends' actor’s death, will face a maximum sentence of 65 years in prison.
Best of LAist