PAE's Twelfth Night

Matt and I attended yet another fabulous performance of Portland Actor's Ensemble.  This time they were presenting Twelfth Night.  We last saw PAE this summer performing Hamlet in July and we last saw Twelfth Night with Northwest Classical Theater Company's 2010 production, memorable for the famous "hiding behind a pillow" scene that still makes me laugh when I think about it.

This was a very good production, with very good singers.  And they sang a lot.  Here we get pre-show entertainment from the actors themselves:  Danielle Frimer (Olivia) and Britt Harris (Viola) are accompanied  by Max Maller (Sir Andrew) as they sing "Emmylou." (by First Aid Kit) And this is what I liked about this production:  we hear a lot of versions of "Sigh No More" when watching Shakespeare which is fine, but when we get to hear contemporary music, I'm quite happy.
 

Here Zach Virden (Orsino) sings (I think) "A change is going to come"
 

It's Carson Cook! (who we last saw in NWCTC's Much Ado About Nothing)  He's playing the guitar as the whole cast sings "Ho Hey" (The Lumineers).  Very fun.
 

Okay, the play begins.  Here we can see the ship just as it is beginning to wreck, casting Viola to the seas and separating her from her twin brother Sebastian.
 

The Duke does some bicep curls as he discusses how he wants to marry Olivia.
 

More songs by the fool.
 

The Duke and Viola discuss how she is to woo Olivia for him.
 

This is the famous scene where Malvolio finds a letter planted by Maria, Sir Toby and Feste which makes him think Olivia is in love with him.
 

Here the team cleverly evades detection as Malvolio reads the letter.  (In the NWCTC production, this was the famous "hiding behind the pillow" scene.)
 

At intermission Will Steele (Sir Toby Belch) played us a great sing-along drinking tune.
 

The man in front of us had extra melon and handed it all around so we snacked and sang.  Lovely!
 

 

 

I really liked these chairs.  Matt and I are in the market for new chairs as ours are falling apart.
 

This gentleman sat on his suitcase for the duration of the play.  I couldn't decide if he was coming home from the airport/other travel and happened along the play and just sat to watch, or if that was an intentional seat.
 

Malvolio in crossed garters and yellow stockings.
 

Poor Malvolio, he's now being deemed crazy by Fest/Sir Toby/Maria.
 

 

 

 

Max Maller played a great Sir Andrew.  He was very tightly wound.
 

 

And off Malvolio goes.
 

Feste pretends to be the priest.  I loved how the box that contained Malvolio was broken at just the right point so he could stick his head out.
 

 

Here Sebastian (on the left) and Viola (on the right) discover the other is alive.
 

There is a great reunion and excitement all around.
 

And the happy couples come together finally.
 

 

But before we go, there is one more song!