The Woodinville High School Performing Arts Department has done it again! After a highly entertaining Urinetown in February, the Performing Arts Department has created yet another jaw-dropping show for its final production of the year. Originally a play by Shakespeare, the story of Twelfth Night has been gifted with a vibrant, modern twist by the Department. The costumes add so much to each character, and the fictional setting of Illyria was more than stunning. The design crew have really outdone themselves with this one!
The story follows sister and brother Viola (Jessica Karczeski/Carmela Martinez) and Sebastian (Mateo Cabral). After being shipwrecked in the town of Illyria, Viola disguises herself as a man, going by the name Cesario, which becomes a well known name amongst the nosey town members. Viola then finds herself caught up in an ongoing love struggle between popular townsfolk Olivia (Isabelle Cobbley) and Duke Orsino (Elijah Moreno). This story is one of love and loss, discovery and acceptance, comedy and tragedy-it would be a ‘tragedy’ if I spoiled any more of this great production!
With all of the cast, crew, and pit giving it their all for this play, I would like to point out what I thought were the most entincing moments from this show. First off, the beautiful voices of Elijah Moreno and Jessica Karczeski still linger, as I write this article two days after opening night. The rare occasions of a vocal trio in the play were easily the most captivating. My favorite characters had to be Malvolio (Adrian Avadanei/Casca Bussel) and Sir Andrew (Allan Xuan/Andrew Lapworth), who seemed to bring the most chuckles from the audience, and for good reason. The bumbling demeanor of both characters brought comedy to the performance, especially when paired with fellow secondary characters Fabian (Sarah Nitche/Kira Gillespie), Maria (Daniela Peterson/Abby Way), Sir Toby (Nate Roemer/Ray Liu), and Feste, the lovable fool (Megan Barker/Ginger Milbrodt). The frivolous chemistry between those six kept my eyes glued to the stage the whole time. I would also like to give a quick shout out to the pit for their jazzy performance, the ensemble for their precision in the dance numbers, and to the solo singers for their beautiful vocals that made the play pop. Overall, the show was amazing with its vibrant costumes and scenes, sharp lighting, even sharper acting, and of course the heavenly singing from the cast. I would definitely recommend Twelfth Night as your next WHS Theater Company experience.