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| Josh Krupke as Malvolio |
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| Christian Doyle as John Lennon/Feste |
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| Mark Alford is an explosive Johnny Rotten |
Harlequin Productions’ original
musical A Rock ‘n’ Roll Twelfth Night (with
apologies to William Shakespeare) has become a modern classic dear to the
hearts of Olympia theater lovers. It is now playing for the fourth time, and it
has been far too long since the last time — 2003. That was so long ago for the
cast of relatively young actors that only one of them has ever even seen the
show, as stated in a program note by Scot Whitney. It might be further noted
that the actors have to be relatively young because the energy required of
actors in this frenetic musical could be the cause of heart attacks in older
actors.
A Rock ‘n’ Roll Twelfth Night is unlike any musical you’ve ever
before seen, although it does bear a slight resemblance to parts of Spamalot and The Rocky Horror Show. It is also unlike any other version of
Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night (although
the story line adheres fairly closely to the Shakespeare comedy).
Imagine this: Shakespeare set to
music with original rock ‘n’ roll tunes performed by the likes of Elvis
Presley, Madonna, Janice Joplin and Little Richard. Crazy, huh? But that’s what
Whitney and his brother Bruce have created. They wrote songs based on lines
from Shakespeare’s play, put them to music in the style of rock icons, and
inserted them in appropriate places in the play — fairly closely sticking to
the bard’s words and plot lines but with occasional pop references thrown in
(like suddenly bursting into a bit of “Time Warp” from Rocky Horror, and a line
from the Village People’s “Y.M.C.A.”). In other words, controlled insanity.
Scot wrote the lyrics and Bruce
wrote the music, with lyrics to “Electrocution” by Bob Hart and lyrics to “The
Way I Feel Tonight” by Linda Whitney. There’s a grungy, industrial look to the
set by Linda Whitney and dramatic lighting by Amy Chisman, and some wild
costuming by Darren Mills — check out Sir Andrew Aguecheek’s yellow socks.
The cast is outstanding, from
Kody Bringman as a spot-on Elvis playing Duke Orsino to Josh Krupke’s crazy and
very changeable Malvolio. Most of the cast members are easily recognizable as
rock stars, but a few I could not place, either because I’m not that hip to
singers of certain eras or perhaps because not all of them were meant to be specific
stars.
Stacie Calkins, for example, as
Viola. If she is playing her role as a particular singer I could not place her,
but that doesn’t matter; all that matters is that she has a voice that rocks
the house. Calkins has been wowing audiences at Centerstage, ArtsWest, Tacoma
Musical Playhouse and other venues north of here for years, and Olympia
audiences are blessed to finally get to hear her sing on Harlequin’s stage. She
is astounding.
Lindsey Larson is unmistakable
as Madonna playing Lady Olivia, and Gina Marie Russell is clearly Janice
Joplin, recognizable by her costume even if her voice, while powerful enough,
does not sound like Janice. Christian Doyle as Feste looks and sounds like John
Lennon and quietly commands attention whenever he is on stage. Gabriel
McClelland is a dead ringer in sound and movement for John Belushi’s Jake Blues
playing the perpetually drunk Sir Toby Belch. Miguel Pineda is hilarious with
outsized moves and expressions as Little Richard playing Sir Andrew Aguecheek
(with a few moves recognizable as lifted from Michael Jackson and James Brown
thrown in for good measure). Mark Alford is explosive as a bright-orange-haired
Johnny Rotten.
As with Calkins, I could not
recognize which rock icon Jordon Bolden was playing in the role of Sebastian, but
he is entertaining and has a terrific voice.
Twelfth Night is
one of Shakespeare’s funniest comedies. It tells the tale of a brother and
sister, Viola and Sebastian, who are separated in a storm at sea when Viola
falls overboard and is washed up on the shores of Illyria, which is renamed
Dyleria for this production. Each believes the other is dead. Viola pretends to
be a man and falls in love with Orsino, which creates difficulties because Orsino thinks she is a
man, and furthermore he is in love with Olivia, who falls in love with Viola,
whom she also believes is a man.
This play contains some typically Shakespearean hijinks and
great music, and if you pay very close attention you’ll hear Shakespeare’s
dirtiest joke.
WHEN:
Thursdays through Saturdays, 8p.m., Sundays 2 p.m. through July 20
WHERE:
State Theater, 202 E. 4th Ave., Olympia
TICKETS:
prices vary, call for details
INFORMATION:
360-786-0151; http://www.harlequinproductions.org/
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