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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Ashland-area resident running for Congress ... Body found in Illinois River near Selma ... Only a few bills still alive in what remains of Oregon legislative session ... Ashland-area resident running for Congress ... Body found in Illinois River near Selma ... Only a few bills still alive in what remains of Oregon legislative session ... THEATER REVIEW Review: OSF's 'Twelfth Night' does Tinseltown proud Comment By Bill Varble for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Bill Varble for the Mail Tribune Posted Feb. 27, 2016 at 6:29 PM Updated Feb 28, 2016 at 11:52 AM By Bill Varble for the Mail Tribune Posted Feb. 27, 2016 at 6:29 PM Updated Feb 28, 2016 at 11:52 AM » Social News Hollywood in the 1930s was a place where dreams could come true. For the dreamers and lovers of the Tinseltown-themed “Twelfth Night” that opened Friday night at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, so is Illyria. Director Christopher Liam Moore has clothed Shakespeare’s much-produced romantic comedy in the devices of Hollywood’s Golden Age. Duke Orsino is the head of Illyria Studios. Olivia is his biggest star. And Viola, who disguises herself as the youth Cesario, is nothing if not the author of a clever dream in which she re-invents herself to turn the tables on the Dream Factory. Malvolio, Olivia’s dour killjoy of a steward, is Will Hays, the dour killjoy of the hated Motion Picture Production Code, the censorship outfit driven by the haunting fear that someone, somewhere, might be happy at the movies. The show begins with grainy, black-and-white newsreel-like footage that establishes the story of the shipwreck that separated twins Viola and Sebastian. Instead of the iconic MGM Lion, there is a growling bear. The centerpiece of Christopher Acebo’s set is a grand staircase where an Olivia de Havilland might make her entrance. Susan Tsu has draped the actors in gorgeous, tailored ‘30s-ish fashions. Great silhouettes abound. And androgyny. Sara Bruner, in a knockout turn as a rather butch Viola/Cesario, looks like a cross between David Bowie’s Thin White Duke and a young k.d. lang — and the Bieber-ish blond 'do works for both Viola and Sebastian, both of whom are played by Bruner. But there’s way more to Bruner’s performance, as Viola tries to act like a man while falling in love with Orsino (Elijah Alexander) and attempting to ward off the affections of Olivia (Gina Daniels), who has fallen in love in “Cesario.” It is a joy to watch her self-consciously try to ape male movement and mannerisms even as her trepidation grows. Gina Daniels sparkles, sometimes literally, as Olivia, playing her as a self-deluded, libido-driven femme fatale who is a goner from the moment she lays eyes on “Cesario.” As sharp-tongued Feste, Rodney Gardiner is a song-and-dance man and wise loner who embodies the spirit of celebration that will ultimately triumph over the prickly ethos of Malvolio. Gardiner seasons his comic physicality with ironic winks. The shallow Orsino (Elijah Alexander), in love with the idea of love, is a foil for Viola. Decked out in jodhpurs and riding boots and a German accent, Deasy evokes maybe Billy Wilder or Ernst Lubtsch. Some of the liveliest moments come from the comic characters in the Malvolio sub-plot, in which Olivia’s assistant, Maria (a very funny Kate Mulligan), along with Olivia’s tosspot uncle, Sir Toby Belch (an energetic Daniel T. Parker), and his pal, Sir Andrew Aguecheek (Danforth Comins), conspire to torment Malvolio. The duel between Viola/Cesario and Sir Andrew involves some unlikely objects. A cross-gartered Malvolio in yellow stockings rises as an absurd Phoenix from the bowels of the Bowmer stage. When Malvolio is imprisoned as a lunatic, a small sound booth serves as his cell, a rare clinker that raises more questions than it answers. It’s all bathed in the elegance of David Reiffel’s orginal score, with an on-stage grand piano, ably played by Ron Ochs, evoking the music of, say, Jerome Kern and Harold Arlen. Curiously, when Malvolio vows revenge “on the whole pack of you,” the line gets a laugh, the first time I’ve ever seen this. A nice bit of cinematic magic is used in the overlong fifth act when Viola and Sebastian are both in the scene. No spoilers here, but the scene puts a twist on Feste’s final song that would make Busby Berkeley turn green. In this era of director-driven Shakespeare, high-concept productions are sometimes tripped up by their own conceits. Not here. As love triumphs, even tinged with resignation, this dream factory makes lucid Shakespeare’s premise that to present a disguised self to the world is to complicate the journey to authenticity. —Reach freelance writer Bill Varble at varble.bill @gmail.com. By Bill Varble for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Bill Varble for the Mail Tribune Posted Feb. 27, 2016 at 6:29 PM Updated Feb 28, 2016 at 11:52 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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