It's Twelfth Night, Baby

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by Lisanne White
Issue date: 10/15/05


Catherine Frye as Viola (left) and Chelia LaTour as Olivia during the dress rehearsal of Twelfth Night.

Students at Delta are deep into the fall semester. The air will quickly begin to cool and the ground is soon to be scattered with leaves. As the drama department kicks off its theatre season, Delta drama instructor Harvey T. Jordon offers us a way to hold on to the lapping waves and sandy beaches of summer, with his exotic interpretation of William Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night."

Through Jordan's vision, the story takes place in 1870 on a Polynesian island. Jordan feels that Shakespeare is perfect material for being conceptualized in different ways and places, and the tone of the islands during this time compliments and represents the themes of the play."

[There is] the idea of freedom of expression and merriment versus a moralistic oppression", said Jordan.

"Twelfth Night" is one of Shakespeare's most popular comedies. At the core it tells the classic love triangle story, only with a twist; girl (disguised as a boy) falls in love with boy, boy is in love with another girl, that girl loves a different boy (who is actually a girl). The play has a spectacle of things to offer, from laugh out loud satirical comedy, a bit sexual ambiguity, to very tender romance, with some dance and traditional Polynesian music in between.

"The play is hardly musty and dusty as Shakespeare usually might seem to be," said Jordan.

The cast is made up of all Delta drama students with the help of two instructors, Jordan as the drunken Sir Toby, and John White as Malvolio. White also serves as the show's set designer Starring in the play, and making up the characters of the love triangle, are three experienced Delta actors, Chelia LaTour as Olivia, Brian Peccia as Orsino, and Catherine Frye in the dual role of Viola and Cesario. Frye also lends her talents as assistant lighting designer. Peccia is a seasoned actor of Shakespeare, having performed with a professional Shakespeare company.

"I've been doing Shakespeare since I was 12," said Peccia.

In preparation for the Oct. 14 opening night, the cast and crew has been rehearsing every night for the past week, ironing out the last bit of kinks and bringing all the pieces together. Jordan is excited for the curtain to finally go up and hopes audiences are surprised by the production."

I hope that people take a chance and come out and see Shakespeare is not, necessarily, what they think it's going to be," said Jordan.

"Twelfth Night," showing in the Tillie Lewis Theatre, opens tonight at 8 p.m., with a second showing on Saturday, Oct. 15 also at 8 p.m. and a final performance on Tuesday, Oct. 18 at 10 a.m.

Tickets for the 8 p.m. shows are $12 for adults and $10 for children and seniors. For the 10 a.m. performance, they are $5 for all age groups. To purchase tickets, the Delta box office is open Tues. to Fri., 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sat., 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. They can also be bought online at dca.deltacollege.edu, or by phone at (209) 954-5110 (both online and phone ticket orders are subject to additional fees).

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