A production of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, directed by Milan Dragicevich with original music by Tim Eriksen
When Shakespeare’s Viola lands on the shores of Illyria, she discovers a topsy-turvy world of rebellious revelry and swirling magic, enabling fever-pitch romantic passions and unlikely lovestruck pairings, while family bonds are restored.
UMass Theater professor Milan Dragicevich’s adventurous production of Twelfth Night braids Shakespeare’s Elizabethan spirit and style with contemporary playful pop-arty sensibilities, infused with the live music of Grammy-nominated Tim Eriksen (Cordelia’s Dad band, Cold Mountain soundtrack) and choreography of Antonia Araya Budnik. Tickets are on sale now for our production, which opens on April 26 in the Rand Theater.
Twelfth Night marks the second collaboration between Dragicevich as a director and Eriksen as music director/composer. They previously worked together on the New England premiere and international tour of Dragicevich’s Refugee (2016-18).
Twelfth Night is Shakespeare at his comedic peak, weaving a plot of mistaken identities and misunderstandings. Twins Viola and Sebastian get separated and think each other are dead. Viola decides to solve this problem by dressing as her brother. Soon, she’s working for Count Orsino, with whom she falls in love, while helping him court Olivia — who falls for Viola instead. It’s all set against the backdrop of Illyria, a wondrous land of festive, unabashed revelry which surely resonated with Shakespeare’s boisterous London audiences, perhaps the greatest playgoing public in Western history.
Music was key to the production, which comprised several dance routines such as Viola and Sebastian’s separation in the ocean, as well as a brief ballet performance by Viola and Feste. Original songs from the play, including Feste’s “Come Away, Death” and the closing number “Hey, Ho, The Wind and The Rain” – originally performed by just the Fool but this time sung all together by the cast – were performed enthusiastically. Dialogue between Feste, Sir Toby and his friend Sir Andrew Aguecheek (Cole Seitz) was synchronized with tunes including “So Long, Farewell” from “The Sound of Music,” “I Will Always Love You” by Whitney Houston and “Rollin’ In The Deep” by Adele. The music was directed and composed by acclaimed musician Tim Eriksen, who contributed to the soundtrack of the film “Cold Mountain” and is a member of Northampton band Cordelia’s Dad.
“I think Shakespeare’s original intent was to use music that reached the audience, and while … it could be really interesting to see what his original music sources were, for the purposes of the play, I think it makes more sense to use things that speak more directly to the audience,” Eriksen said, adding that his position in the corner of the stage allowed him to witness the audience’s reactions. - By Kalana Amarasekara, Collegian Staff