REVIEW: “Twelfth Night” breathes new life into the bard

REVIEW: “Twelfth Night” breathes new life into the bard

“Shakespeare in the Park featuring ‘Twelfth Night’ is an innovative and engaging production of a centuries-old classic that will hopefully kickstart a new tradition of making more plays accessible to the general public.”

 

Following the tradition established in New York in 1962 of staging free, outdoor performances of William Shakespeare’s plays to make these more accessible to the general public, this abridged version of Twelfth Night was performed at the Ayala Triangle gardens over the course of three days.

This writer attended the performance on the first day, which was plagued by stormy weather. As a result, the show had to be staged under the shelter of the Makati Stock Exchange Building and not in the park itself, to protect the cast and the audience from the elements. Thus, this review is written from this particular vantage point.

Based on photos posted of the subsequent performances, fair weather allowed the production team to stage the show inside the park for the second and third day, making it a truly outdoor setting.

Inclement weather aside, the result of this bold experiment is a fun and festive delight, briskly presenting all the essential plot points with compelling performances, engaging musical numbers, and cheeky winks to the audience. This production manages to inject a new energy to the centuries-old piece and potentially introduce the material to a wider audience. 

Music, mischief, and mayhem

The play begins when twins Viola (Teia Contreras) and Sebastian (Cholo Ledesma) are separated in a shipwreck and wash up on the coast of Illyria, each believing the other dead. Viola disguises herself as a page named Cesario and enters the service of Duke Orsino (Altair Alonso), who is in love with the countess Olivia (Jillian Ita-as). Viola is in love with Orsino, but he orders Cesario to woo the countess on his behalf. But Olivia ends up falling for Cesario instead. A complicated love triangle is formed.

Another subplot involves Olivia’s uncle, Sir Toby Belch (Tarek El Tayech), his friend Sir Andrew Aguecheek (Rafael Jimenez), and Olivia’s gentlewoman, Maria (Cathy Azanza-Dy). These three scheme to embarrass Olivia’s uptight steward, Malvolio (Dean Daniel Rosen), by convincing him that Olivia is in love with him. Hilarity ensues.

After a string of chaotic events, the twins are eventually reunited, their true identities revealed. Orsino marries Viola and Olivia marries Sebastian. Sir Toby marries Maria. Malvolio vows revenge on those who wronged him. 

Shakespearean scene stealers

In the hands of capable performers, Shakespeare’s dialogue can sound natural and engaging. Some of the more seasoned performers like El Tayech and Azanza-Dy effortlessly deliver their lines while balancing characters with big personalities. El Tayech and Jimenez are consistent scene stealers as the comic relief characters of the piece, constantly causing chaos, notably during an unhinged karaoke rendition of Vanessa Carlton’s “A Thousand Miles.”

Jillian Ita-as is fantastic as Olivia, displaying an impressive range as she goes from grieving sister to haughty aristocrat to lovesick lady. Her wit and charm often overpower Teia Contreras who comes across as a timid Cesario.

Contreras plays the part creditably enough although at times, her delivery of her lines still seems slightly self-conscious. She shines, however, whenever she sings, which she does beautifully, effectively conveying the complicated emotions of her character. Her song captivates Orsino, played convincingly by Alonso. Though their scenes together are brief, Contreras and Ledesma succeed in showing their bond as twins, and one can rejoice at their eventual reunion.

Dean Daniel Rosen’s Malvolio is wonderfully versatile as Malvolio, transforming from formal to foolish, as he falls prey to Sir Toby and Sir Andrew’s trickery. His awkward declaration of love to Olivia is as hilarious as expected and his subsequent anger and shame is well-portrayed.

“If music be the food of love…”

It’s an eventful play but this abridged version (directed by Nelsito Gomez) manages to make every plot thread easy to follow. Most of the original Shakespearean dialogue is kept but there are the occasional modern flourishes like the costumes (by Sarah Facuri), certain anachronistic expressions, and some cheeky references to other local productions.

The most notable change is the addition of musical numbers, with the characters sometimes bursting into a rendition of a pop hit. Fortunately, the songs are well integrated into the production, helping to move the story along while also developing the characters.

The choice of sentimental karaoke staples such as “I Knew I Loved You” by Savage Garden, “I Love You Always Forever” by Donna Lewis, and “The Only Exception” by Paramore seems to be deliberate so as to enable audience participation. The grand finale of the piece is an ensemble performance of the Backstreet Boys’ “Shape of My Heart,” an unexpectedly inspired choice that deftly ties up the arcs of all the main characters while allowing the audience to join in the merriment.

All the park’s a stage

The production makes the most of its outdoor setting, with a simple but versatile set design by Ohm David. Most of the action takes place in front of an evocative scenic painting (by Chesca Cartativo) which can also be moved around to create a sort of split screen effect when several characters are speaking in different venues.

This painted backdrop is complemented by both the natural beauty of the park and the concrete jungle of the central business district, trees and buildings blending into the vision of Illyria. 

On the first day, despite the challenges of the rainy weather,  the sound system became fairly stable, and the voices of the performers could still be heard clearly, for the most part. With the show staged in the Makati Stock Exchange Building, there was occasional noise from the rush hour traffic, which was unavoidable.

There’s a certain intimacy to the setting, with audiences sitting on their own mats as they watch the story unfold. People are free to watch the show at any moment so even those strolling through the park or doing an afternoon run can take a break to see some Shakespeare. As the play progresses, curious passers-by approach the stage to see what the fuss is all about and the audience grows and by the end, more people are singing “Shape of My Heart” than there were at the beginning.

Setting the bar(d)

Shakespeare’s works have always been meant to be shared with the wider community and this is an excellent way of making art more accessible to more people.

Innovative and engaging while still faithful to the spirit of the source material, this production sets the bar(d) for future performances of Shakespeare’s vast oeuvre. It’s a bold proof of concept for Shakespeare in the Park in the Philippines and hopefully, Twelfth Night is only the first of many more such shows. 

 

Tickets: Free admission
Show Dates: October 3, 4, 5, 2025
Venue: Ayala Triangle
Running Time: approx. 1 hour 20 minutes
Company: AyalaLand and Make It Makati in partnership with Company of Actors in Streamlined Theatre (C.A.S.T.) PH
Creatives: Nelsito Gomez (director), Ohm David (set design), Chesca Cartativo (scenic painting), Sarah Facuri (costume design), SoundCheck (sound design)
Cast: Teia Contreras, Cholo Ledesma, Jillian Ita-as, Altair Alonso, Cathy Azanza-Dy, Tarek El Tayech, Dean Daniel Rosen, Rafael Jimenez