‘Twelfth Night’ Moved to the 20s

Shakespeare and speakeasies may not be a common match, but the Hyperion Shakespeare Company hopes it proves to be an exciting one. Set in the Roaring 20s, the company’s reinvention of “Twelfth Night” looks to wed the Shakespearian classic’s timeless comedy with the Jazz Age’s wonderful music, dance, and booze.

The idea first surfaced during Hyperion’s search for a director. For the second year in a row, the company decided to have their production professionally directed. They knew they found their man in Shelley Bolman. “Shelley’s [application] just immediately stood out because he wrote about the play with such enthusiasm and passion. A great part of that was this new idea he had.” says co-producer Tara L. Moross ’09.

Bolman’s “new idea” was to set Shakespeare’s classic tale of mistaken identity and pursuit of love on Memphis’ Beale Street, a jazz epicentre. Lovelorn Duke Orsino’s court has been turned into a jazz nightclub, complete with alcohol, dancers, and music. A live jazz quartet will be featured onstage, providing music during transitions and the songs of Feste the clown.

The similarities between the Twelfth Night holiday from which the play derives its title and the 20s inspired Bolman to update the setting in order to present a fresh take on the play.

“In much the same way that the Twelfth Night holiday was a final, wild, last gasp of revelry before returning to work and reality, the 20s were a time of greater national prosperity and partying... before the Great Depression,” Bolman says.

In addition to the common thread of festivity that unites the celebrations of the Twelfth Night holiday and those of the Jazz Age, both periods share a puritanical element. It is represented by the rigid moral code of Malvolio in “Twelfth Night” and prohibition in the 20s.

Amongst the revelry and puritanical elements found in the 20s, there was also a sense of mourning as the country healed from the recent losses suffered during World War I. This factor is also weaved into the production: Olivia believes her brother to have been killed at war instead of lost at sea, as she does in the original storyline.

Furthermore, the change of setting allows music to be integrated into the production as was originally called for. Since the original music to Feste’s songs has been lost, student composer Sam L. Linden ’10 had the freedom to update this segment of the play, setting the lyrics to a jazz score. The unification of music, singing, and acting in the production is one of a kind, according to co-producer Tiffanie K. Hsu ’09, who is also a Crimson photographer.

“Besides musicals, which integrate music in a different way, there hasn’t been a production that integrates music to this level, with the musicians themselves as well as dancers featured as part of the production,” Hsu says. “I think that’s kind of a new thing, integrating Shakespeare as well as music and dance in a way where everything is kind of seamless.”

Although the setting of the play has been modernized, Hyperion has kept Shakespeare’s text intact. As Moross notes, Shakespeare’s comedy addresses issues that continue to affect us in the present day and needs no updating. “That kind of desire to find someone and the kind of journey people have to go on to do that, I think that’s completely relevant to today.”