Your browser may not support display of this image. A cross-dressing female, mistaken identities, love triangles, up-tight servants, drunken knights, and swashbuckling sword fights characterize the Phoenixville Theater Guild’s 2008 production of Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare. Mr. Tavani (husband of Frau Tavani), is the director of the play. Opening night for the play is Friday Dec. 19 and is followed by performances on the 20th and 21st.

Your browser may not support display of this image.Your browser may not support display of this image. The plot is both confusing and complex. When Viola (Sonia Tavani) is shipwrecked and lost in a foreign land, she decides to dress up as a man named Cesario in order to get know the local Duke. The Duke Orsino (Brendan Farrell) has fallen in love with the Countess Olivia (Rebecca Wise), and he sends his best servant Cesario to woo the countess. Olivia falls in love with Cesario instead of Orsino, while Viola searches for the love of the Duke. When Viola’s brother Sebastian (Scott Carr) shows up, the characters begin to see double!

Your browser may not support display of this image. Twelfth Night also features a humorous subplot based around the straight-laced puritan Malvolio (Marcus Tavani). Maria (Alex Babinchak), Sir Toby Belch (Owen Howsen), and Andrew Aguecheek (Dylan Unruh) set forth a thrilling (and humorous) scheme to embarrass the unsmiling servant.

Your browser may not support display of this image. This year’s play raises the bar for Phoenixville Theater because of the complexity of Shakespeare. The language has presented several problems for the talented cast, including odd vocabulary and memorization struggles. This year’s play was moved to December to accommodate the challenges.

Your browser may not support display of this image. Despite the challenge presented by Shakespearean language, the cast remains optimistic that the play will be a success. Mike Zolovich (Feste the Clown) believes that the Shakespearean language and humor helps “to expand your theater experience and learn new things… Overall, I think the audience will enjoy it!”

Your browser may not support display of this image. According to Rebecca Wise, co-president of Theater Guild and also Olivia in the play, “[Twelfth Night] is a different more difficult production from what the Fall Play usually involves. There’s a lot of new faces and new people involved, so there’s a very large, but talented cast. It’s great to see the amount of interest the high school has in its theater program.”

This year’s play is very similar to last year’s production of The Love of Three Oranges. It uses ensemble acting, unnamed servant characters known as “zanni”, as well as a heavy reliance on musical talent.

However, in one way, Twelfth Night is absolutely different from Three Oranges: CAPPIES! The high school theater critics known as the Cappies will be reviewing Phoenixville’s outstanding production. At the end of the year, outstanding plays and musicals are nominated and invited to an awards gala. The 2006 production Three Musketeers was nominated for seven Cappie awards, and won one for Best Ensemble (The Three Musketeers). This year’s cast is positively excited about the Cappies, and they want their own chance to win after last year’s disappointment.


Posted by
Charles Hanlon