[NEohioPAL]LAST WEEKEND FOR "TWELFTH NIGHT" AT PLAYERS GUILD

[Players Guild Theatre]

There are only four performances left for "Twelfth Night" at the Players
Guild Theatre.  Showtimes are Thursday-Saturday (January 31-Febnruary 2) at
8:00 P.M., and Sunday, February 3 at 2:30 P.M.

The show has received excellent reviews from both the Canton Repository and
the Akron Beacon-Journal (the reviews are posted in their entirety at the
bottom of this e-mail).

Call the box office to order tickets at 330-453-7617.

Players Guild Theatre
1001 Market Avenue North
Canton, Ohio 44702
Box Office: 330-453-7617
Main Office: 330-453-7619
URL: www.playersguildtheatre.com


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Players Guild cast, director laudable in ‘Twelfth Night’
By DAN KANE Repository entertainment writer
CANTON — Think your personal life is full of drama and confusion?

Get thee to “Twelfth Night” and thy complications will seem minuscule.

The Shakespeare comedy is abrim with mistaken identities, thwarted romantic
maneuvering, practical jokes, exaggerated emotions and even some swordplay.

While it is sometimes challenging to follow the many plot twists and
deliberately convoluted personal relationships, this new Players Guild
production rewards its audience with abundant laughter.

Important to know is that “Twelfth Night” has been directed by Bil Pfuderer
with an emphasis on clarity. The actors avoid delivering their archaic
dialogue in the pompous style some associate with Shakespeare. Instead, they
speak their lines conversationally, which makes things much more easy to
follow.

The story begins when a young woman named Viola secretly disguises herself
as a man to aid the Duke in his romantic pursuit of Countess Olivia. As luck
would have it, Olivia rebuffs the Duke’s attentions and falls instead for
the messenger she believes to be an attractive man.

Elsewhere, Countess Olivia’s cousin, a rowdy fellow named Sir Toby Belch,
and Olivia’s ornery maid, Maria, conspire to make a fool of Olivia’s pompous
steward, Malvolio. Just as planned, they persuade him that he is the object
of Olivia’s affection.

Swirling around these parallel story lines are a hopelessly inept, foppish
knight, Sir Andrew; Feste, an impish jester who regularly bursts into song;
Viola’s look-alike (and long-believed-dead) brother Sebastian; and Sebastian
’s sidekick Antonio, a sea captain. Not to spoil any surprises, but all the
complications eventually shake out and love triumphs.

The production moves with the steady pace of a comic romp and the actors
give it their collective all. Joseph Wolford is a standout as the nimbly
entertaining, highly animated, and vocally gifted fool, Feste. Jodi Wilson
is winningly natural and fun as Maria, and Jennifer Carmola displays the
proper regal bearing as Olivia.

Richard Reahm and Jim Viront add to the boisterous comedy as Sirs Toby and
Andrew, although Viront’s outrageous antics are sometimes distracting in
scenes where he is not the focus. Amid much exaggeration, David Sponhour
gives a well-rounded and convincingly human performance as Sebastian.

Performances run through Feb. 3 on the Guild Mainstage at the Cultural
Center for the Arts. Shows are at 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, and 2:30
p.m. Sunday. To order tickets, call (330) 453-7617.
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Players Guild's Bard is for the rest of us
`Twelfth Night' features fine actors in key roles, plus thorough synopsis
BY KERRY CLAWSON
Beacon Journal staff writer


One of Artistic Director Bil Pfuderer's goals for the Players Guild of
Canton is to make Shakespeare both accessible to and enjoyable for those who
may think the playwright's works too difficult to digest. With the current
production of the comedy Twelfth Night, Pfuderer leads a talented cast in
showing that, indeed, Shakespeare's universal humor isn't meant for just the
scholarly few.

Poetry unfolds on the Players Guild stage, most eloquently through Johanna
Alves-Parks as the clever Viola, Joseph Wolford as the clown Feste and M.F.
Skinner as the straight-laced Malvolio. These three are the gems amid a cast
of colorful characters.

Alves-Parks, a University of Akron student whose triple major includes
theater, has a lovely vocal quality, confident delivery and glowing face.
Through her, we quickly feel we know our heroine, Viola.

Theatergoers won't have to worry about deciphering this comedic story, as
long as they read the helpful and thorough synopsis included in the program.
The story begins with Viola, who has survived a shipwreck and assumes her
brother Sebastian is dead. She decides to dress as a man, named Cesario, to
serve the Duke Orsino. The Duke, played Friday night by understudy Russell
Spees, is in love with the fair Olivia (Jennifer Carmola).

A string of mistaken identities follows, providing the play's high comedy.
As the more noble characters pursue their love interests, the action is
punctuated by the low-comedy pranks of Sir Toby Belch (Richard Reahm), Sir
Andrew Aguecheek (James Viront), Feste (Wolford) and servant Maria (Jody
Wilson).

There's plenty of mischief and mockery in this comedy. Sir Toby even uses
his friend, Sir Andrew, for his merriment.

But the steward Malvolio bears the cruelest mockery. Skinner excels as his
character goes against his rigid nature to become an impulsive, smiling
wooer.

Costume designer Pfuderer, set designer Joshua Erichson and lighting
designer Joe Carmola have worked carefully together to create a visually
colorful production, including rich, jewel-toned costumes and elegant,
pastel-hued sets and lighting. Also charming are musical interludes
featuring flute, strings and harp, composed by Steve Parsons.

Viront offers a highly absurd interpretation of Sir Andrew, the foppish,
ne'er-do-well friend of Sir Toby Belch. At one point, Sir Andrew mentions
his ``flame-colored stockings,'' but that's just the beginning of his wild
get-up. He wears a flaming pink suit and hat, accented with orange and
yellow, and a white wig shaped in a bob.

In his movement and mannerisms, Viront's Sir Andrew is a cross between Pee
Wee Herman and a stiff toy soldier who doesn't bend his joints. He's
constantly boohooing, stomping or squawking, none of which makes him
likable. Viront's speech is so affected in this role, at times his lines are
difficult to understand.

Although Feste is the clown, he wisely chooses to play the fool. Sir Andrew,
on the other hand, is meant to be a complete fool.

Wolford is delightful as Feste, who entertains intermittently with song.
This actor also has excellent body language, taking great physical command
of the stage.

This cast doesn't handle Shakespeare's sexual doubleentendres gingerly, but
brings them to light, mainly through body language. Even so, kids may take
these lines on one level and adults on another.

In true Shakespearean form, all ends happily for the lovers in Twelfth
Night. The story comes full circle as one of the play's most famous lines,
introduced earlier, is repeated:

``Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness
thrust upon them.''

Theater critic Kerry Clawson may be reached at 330-996-3527 or by e-mail at
kclawson
@thebeaconjournal.com.