'Twelfth Night' is uniquely entertaining

The young members of the Youth Theatre Ensemble capped off their four-week learning experience with performances of Shakespeare's comedy "Twelfth Night" at the Bloomington Playwrights Project Thursday through Sunday. The cast, ages nine to 15, sparkled with heart and energy, lending a youthful enthusiasm to the well-known words of William Shakespeare. \nBreshaun Birene-Joyner wonderfully directed the cast and created a unique and imaginative world that was incredibly diverse while at the same possessed a great deal of cohesiveness. \n"Twelfth Night" begins with a shipwreck, stranding the young Viola on the shores of Illyria. She sets off to secure survival by dressing as a boy and going to work for a nobleman named Orsino. Viola quickly becomes useful to Orsino, who uses her to woo a gentlewoman named Olivia. Viola has difficulty fulfilling this service because she soon falls in love with Orsino herself, and Olivia develops affections for Viola, who she presumes to be a man. \nAna Delong, who played Viola, did a lovely job capturing her heartsick yearning. A particularly impressive performance was given by Lauren Hersch as Olivia. Hersch was lovably commanding and certainly invoked a great deal of sympathy for her constant confusion and misplaced affections.\nRounding out the cast is a company of misfits, let by the drunken Sir Toby Belch. Nathan Stanger acted the role with amusing raucousness, performing the necessary slapstick moves remarkably well in spite of being costumed with an oversized padded belly. Sir Toby and his friends hatch a scheme with the help of Olivia's handmaid, Maria, played with fabulous spunk and sass by Annie Walters. \nThe characters set out to humiliate Olivia's steward, Malvolio. They succeed admirably, giving rise to one of the most memorable costuming moments of the evening, as Malvolio appears in yellow socks, crossed garters and an astounding large yellow bow tie. The laughter at his entrance was enough to prove his ensemble had done its job.\nMusic was used effectively to underscore much of the production. Many of the selections were string quartet tributes to various popular artists, namely Jimi Hendrix, No Doubt and Tori Amos. The music fit the production nicely, as the string quartet sound lent a classic feel to the more alternative pieces of music. Indeed, the entire production seemed to embody that idea. Even in the design there was something oddly timeless in the abstract and unique quality of the design. \nThe production also did an excellent job creating a truly unique world. The courts of Orsino and Olivia were clearly marked by color. Orsino's world was in bright shades of orange and pink. Olivia, who is in mourning at the beginning of the play, decked out her area in black and white. As Olivia's mourning was eclipsed by love, hot pink and red were introduced into the picture. The contrasting colors were helpful, as they reminded the audience of the allegiances of the characters. They also created a unique mood for each of the two houses. \nPerhaps the most impressive elements of the show was the costuming -- designed with great spirit and creativity by Assistant Director Nicole Bruce. The costumes were fanciful, colorful, and most importantly, wonderfully indicative of character.\nShakespeare is difficult for any actor, so the command of the language evidenced by these young performers was all the more impressive. Clearly their hard work and rehearsal paid off, as they were able to turn out an incredibly fun and interesting piece of theater.