An evening with Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night”

The Bard’s play is still relevant in today’s society
By Phoebe Moore
Daily Texan Staff

Chairs lay toppled on a hardwood floor. An angry woman storms down a central staircase, her long dress swishing loudly. She opens her mouth to bellow and a disembodied voice shouts “Hold!”
The words that were about to escape from the well-dressed dame have been uttered thousands, probably millions of times before and they likely will repeat themselves into infinity.

It is the first full dress rehearsal for the Austin Theatre Alliance’s production of Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” at the State Theatre. The production marks the beginning of the newly formed union between the University of Texas and the State Theatre which allows for graduate students to participate in professional productions.

Why would all of these hip, informed and politically aware students want to take part in something as antiquated and dated as Shakespeare? Of all the Bard’s works, “Twelfth Night” does hold one particular attraction — it is pretty damn riotous.

An outline of the plot reads like the latest romantic comedy to terrorize the box office: a girl dresses up like a boy and falls in love with a boy who’s in love with a girl who falls in love with the girl dressed up like a boy.

Like, oh my god.

The State Theatre makes sure that you recognize the hilarity of the play. The actors catapult about the stage spouting Shakespeare’s not-so-subtle innuendos and expletives.

One actor grabs his crotch while speaking of “making water” while another grabs her chest and shakes her head in response. The State shares in Shakespeare’s distaste for good taste.

In sharp contrast to the slapstick is the 19th century garb that crowds the highly stylized and minimalist set that merely suggests its setting. Colored lights decorate the actors and differentiate between each discourse.

While it is clear that all the production elements have been carefully synthesized by visiting director Paul Mullins, one question remains. Why is Shakespeare relevant right now?

“I think they’re relevant to do whenever,” Mullins remarks, “no matter what time it is.” Why? “Because they are simply the best plays and some of the best poetry ever written about the human condition.”

Once the term “human condition” is brought into play, Mullins becomes incredibly enthusiastic. “[It deals with] the human condition as it revolves around love and identity and making your way through the world,” he says of “Twelfth Night”.

“Shakespeare brings up all these questions: ‘What do I do when I love this person? How do I deal with a world that takes things away from me? What makes life worth living for me?’” Mullins muses.
“[Shakespeare’s plays] are some of the best stories about those things, and so I think they’re all still relevant,” he firmly resolves.

Perhaps this is the message Mullins has tried to convey by choosing to set the play in the nineteenth century era of corsets and phonographs. The production proves that a play written in the early 17th century can reach audiences in the 21st century, even when set in the 19th.

Paul Mullins also speaks positively about the role of UT grad students in the production. “I’ve never done something like this before and it’s worked out very well.”

“After a couple of years together in their own insular world there, it’s probably good for them to have new people to work with,” he comments with a laugh.

“The real joy of this work is meeting and getting to know the people,” Mullins said of mixing students and professionals. “That’s what this is all about.”

The graduate students seem to be having quite a good time as well. All were parading about the stage and conversing in Elizabethan tongue as if they had done so all their lives.

“Twelfth Night” may not be the hippest, most cutting edge work being produced in Austin right now, but as most of the Bard’s plays, it still brings up questions that will haunt humanity for all time. Like, does he like me?

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