SHAKESPEARE COMEDY LIGHTS UP NIGHT AMID SPECTACULAR SETTING AT COCKBURN SQUARE
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com
GRAVENHURST — As the sun sets on summer’s final August night it’s a great opportunity to catch the first night of the final week of the Twelfth Night at the Muskoka Wharf.
With the Cockburn Square gazebo as its dramatic backdrop, Timberbeast Productions theatre company wraps up its summer season with a lively and warmly entertaining Shakespearean comedy set on the shores of Lake Muskoka with plenty of local written and spoken references cast about.
The play centres on the twins Viola and Sebastian, who are separated in a shipwreck (see the Segwun behind).
Viola dresses as a boy and works for the Duke Orsino, whom she falls in love with. Orsino is in love with the Countess Olivia and sends Viola to court her for him, but Olivia falls for Viola instead. Sebastian arrives, causing a flood of mistaken identity, and marries Olivia. Viola then reveals she is a girl and marries Orsino.
The outdoor theatre atmosphere with its 8 p.m. sunset start is breathtaking as it was on the weekend. And intimate (bring your own lawn chair/blanket) as the actors scurried through the crowd of 55 Saturday night between scenes.
The acting, singing and staging were both excellent, the lighting striking and the sound surprisingly good in the outdoor setting.
The show is a pay-what-you-can offering ($20 is encouraged).
It’s final shows are tonight (Aug. 31) and Thursday, Friday, Saturday (Sept. 1-2-3).
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