Review: 12 Nights (The Hypocrites)

  
  
12 Nights 

Written and Directed by Sean Graney  
at Chopin Theatre, 1543 W. Division (map)
thru Oct 6  |  tickets: $28   |  more info
  
Check for half-price tickets 
  
  
   Read entire review
  

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80s music is food of love in re-imagining of the Bard’s famous comedy

The Hypocrites presents

12 Nights

Review by Patrick Dyer

Modern re-imaginings of Shakespeare’s immortal works can be both fun and inventive, if in the right hands. Of course, this kind of interpretation can only work if the environment matches Shakespeare’s words, and the Hypocrites’ new take on Shakespeare’s timeless classic Twelfth Night (along with some Barnabe Riche’s “Apolonius and Silla” and the Italian play Gl’Ingannati) manages to find a good environment for the famous identity crisis comedy – but the language is a different story.

12 Nights opens the same as Twelfth Night does with that immortal line: “If music be the food of love, play on.” This time, however, it’s accompanied by 80s rock tunes and set in an open field where the actors play multiple roles and even play opposite genders. This allows for some of the funnier moments of the evening especially when Zeke Sulkes plays Viola/Cesario or when Tien Doman plays Malvolio. The story of Twelfth Night remains relatively intact despite this production shortening it down to roughly an hour. This gives the actors more opportunity to play to the fourth-wall and ad lib (even if it can be a bit tiring at times). They all each bring a passion and energy, even if the humor can be forced and awkward (especially when interacting with some of the audience). Sulkes and Doman differentiate themselves between characters the best, though Jeff Trainor’s Duke and Christine Stulik’s Lady Olivia are strong and believable. They all have good chemistry onstage and are clearly having fun with this re-imagining, but does the re-imagining itself really work?

Sean Graney’s environment seems appropriate for the Bard’s comic tale, but the atmosphere feels a little too muddled. 12 Nights is like going to a party where you don’t know any of the people but you manage to have some fun even if it can be a bit much. Graney’s mixture of modern talk with Shakespeare’s original poetry is too jarring to work in this light-hearted setting. Sometimes it can work, like when the Duke recites the famous opening soliloquy mixed with 80s rock music, but most of the time it feels somewhat awkward. For an interpretation like this to fully work, Graney must either stick with Shakespeare’s original language or completely invent his own modern dialog inspired by Shakespeare.

While I’m sure Graney and his co-workers had fun putting on this production, it doesn’t always guarantee a successful show. However, any production that keeps the essence of Shakespeare’s poetry, even a little bit, deserves recognition. 12 Nights may not be an entirely successful modern re-working, but it is, in many respects, an admirable one

Rating: ★★½

12 Nights continues through October 6th at Chopin Theatre, 1543 W. Division (map), with performances Fridays and Mondays at 7:30pm, Saturdays at 7:30pm and 10pm, Sundays 3pm.  Tickets are $28, and are available online through Tix.com (check for half-price tickets at Goldstar.com). More information at The-Hypocrites.com.  (Running time: 1 hour, NO intermission)

Photos by Matthew Gregory Hollis 

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artists

cast

Tien Doman, Christine Stulik, Zeke Sulkes, Jeff Trainor

behind the scenes

Sean Graney (director), Chloe Dzielak (assistant director), Miranda Anderson (production manager), Justine B. Palmisano (stage manager), Megan Wildebour (managing director), Matthew Gregory Hollis (photos)

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