By Siera Schubach, Staff Writer

Published in print Oct. 8, 2014

UNCG Theatre kicked off their season on Friday with Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night directed by Jim Wren.

For anyone not familiar with Twelfth Night, it is one of Shakespeare’s comedies; a tale of mistaken identity, revenge and of course, love. Filled with classic Shakespearian characters, Twelfth Night is an enjoyable play on the page, but the true spirit is always in its performance.

Friday night’s result was very enjoyable. Although a little shaky in the first half, with some scenes lacking the proper energy, the production gained steam by the second half.

Uprooted from Elizabethan times, this staging of Twelfth Night was set in a modern era reminiscent of the 1940s. It’s always refreshing when a well-known play is restaged, unfortunately the dialogue didn’t always fit the setting.

The set design was simple but versatile and gave the flat stage a sense of dimension and space. The most impressive aspect of the set was the faux windows at the top of the stage that looked out onto a wide balcony with the sky various shades of blue, green and red. The set was most striking when a character stood on the balcony, their body becoming a graceful black silhouette.

The performances were all enjoyable. Lee Wilson, who played the steward Malvolio was especially enjoyable. His comic timing was excellent.

His best moment came in the second half when Malvolio is tricked into wearing a rather ridiculous outfit. His physicality and ability to inhabit his character was thoroughly convincing.

Laura Gregory as Lady Olivia also stood out amongst the players. Her performance was warmly hilarious, her delivery a refreshing take on some classic Shakespearean lines. She was the perfect balance of Shakespeare and screwball comedy.

Natalie Brouwer as leading lady Viola was also a solid performance, although her scenes with DeAndré Hicks’s Orsino did not entirely convince this reviewer of their famous love.

If Twelfth Night had any major pitfalls it would be in some of the technicalities of the theater. There were some projection issues throughout the play, actor’s words were too soft to hear in the full theater. There were a few stumbles with the cumbersome language, a fact anyone who has tried to perform Shakespeare can understand, and occasionally actors turned their backs to the audience as they spoke.

Yet, despite these challenges, Twelfth Night proved to be a very enjoyable evening, full of laughter and the promise of true love.

Twelfth Night runs through October 10 at Taylor Theatre.

Tickets are on sale through the Theatre Box Office in Brown Building and online at the UNCG School of Music, Theatre and Dance website. Tickets are $16 for adults, $11 for children and $8 for UNCG students.

For more information about Twelfth Night and upcoming UNCG Theatre shows visit http://performingarts.uncg.edu/events/theatre-season.