The Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival Newsletter • Spring 2008 Musical and Magical ������������ Twelfth Night, or What You Will � By Lisa Higgins Shakespeare’s use of the word “fancy” ������������������� can have dual meanings—like many of his Down by the seaside. Shakespeare words. “Fancy, a peculiarly places his romantic comedy Shakespearean word that Twelfth Night, or What You means sometimes Love, Will atat thisthis mostmost romanticromantic ������������ sometimes Imagination, and location, where the land often yokes both together, ���������������������� meets the sea, and he is... the special attribute endows this magical place of Twelfth Night.” 2 Love with the mellifluous name, and imagination, doubly Illyria. One of the most enchanting, may also reflect �������� musical of Shakespeare’s that Twelfth Night, or What plays, Twelfth Night opensopens ���������������������� You Will, is Shakespeare’sShakespeare’s with the lilting line, “If only play to receive a double music be the food of love, title. The Twelfth Night title play on!” Orsino, duke of Main Stage June 18 - July 6 refers to the twelfth night the seaside land Illyria, thus �������� of Christmas, when the play announces his love for love was presumably premiered, while “what you itself, and eventually for the ��������������� will” suggests the fantastical and even “any- beautiful Countess Olivia thing goes.” ��������������� (who wants nothing to do with him). Heard it in a love song ���������������� “There is a special dispensation being ����������������������������� at the shore,” says James J. Christy, who is Ultimately, it is music that “guides directing PSF’s production. “The atmosphere the play’s moods and rhythms,” accord- is lovely, relaxed. [The setting] will feel like a ing to The Essential Shakespeare Handbook. Mediterranean seaside resort, “though not in a The songs make the play unique among ����� realistic or literal way.” Shakespeare’s works, Christy says. “The lyr- ics to the songs are extremely beautiful and ����������� “The setting of Twelfth Night isis espe-espe- lend an autumnal mood. There is a sense of cially important to the play’s romantic the passing nature of joy,” he says, adding, by Edmund Rostand atmosphere,” according to Michael Best, “Rob Maggio (composer) has created beau- Translated and Adapted by writing in Internet Shakespeare Editions. tiful and evocative music for the songs that “‘Illyria’ refers to a place on the east coast bring this language to life.” Anthony Burgess of the Adriatic Sea (between what is now Greece and Albania), but in Shakespeare’s One of Shakespeare’s most familiar com- time the name may not have suggested a edies, Twelfth Night employsemploys a popular come-come- real country. Illyria may have been as fantas- dic plot device: twins separated by misfortune �������������� tical a place as Camelot.”1 (a shipwreck). Viola arrives on the shore, ����������������� thinking her brother has perished in the ���������������������� Inspired in part by a month-long visit storm. “But here the twins are brother and to Barcelona last fall, Christy was particu- sister, requiring the audience to accept the ������������������ larly enchanted by the turn-of-the-century improbable premise that Viola and Sebastian ����������������� architecture of Atoni Gaudi. “I fell in love could be mistaken for one another.” 3 with the creative exuberance of the shapes [of Gaudi’s buildings]; the style was extremely There is no mistaking Christy’s affection fantastical. It reminded me of the line in the for the characters and the play. Connected to ������������ Duke’s opening verse: ‘So full of shapes is the play as a performer and as a director— fancy that it alone is high fantastical.’” ����������������� continued on page 4 Notes from the 2008 Season Sponsor: Producing Artistic AmaranthAmaranth Foundation’sFoundation’s JoanJoan MoranMoran Director As poetic as though Shakespeare him- Moran. “It’s one thing to read Shakespeare, self wrote it, the dictionary defines ama- which is all I ever did as a student. It’s “It’s universal.” The ranth as “a flower that never fades.” The quite another to see a production. Both appeal of Shakespeare. description could just as easily describe the are important. People think they don’t like A cliché perhaps, so it’s work of the Amaranth Foundation and its Shakespeare, but once they see it on stage, worth exploring more trustee, Joan Moran. the characters make it believable; the stories deeply. When I analyze become clearer for the audience.” a Shakespeare play in A Lehigh Valley native and lifelong arts preparation for directing enthusiast, Moran sparkles when talking In advance of seeing a production of a it, I explore in layers. about literature in general, and Shakespeare Shakespeare play, Moran and her husband, Patrick Mulcahy in particular. “How could one person put all Bill Fenza, a retired lawyer, retired Lehigh First, the surface those words together to create so many dif- Valley theatre director, and sometime music layer. The plot, the events, the charac- ferent plays?” she marvels. Even after com- critic, listen to a recording. “We have a com- ters’ behaviors, and what they hint at pleting scholarly expeditions in English liter- plete set of recordings, and we’ll get out the underneath. ature as an undergraduate at Mount Holyoke text and follow along. We find we get more Then I ask myself about the “under- and receiving a masters degree from Lehigh out of the production that way.” neath,” the psychology at work that leads University, her joyful appreciation continues She’s read all of Shakespeare’s plays (and to these behaviors. How are these per- to blossom unabated. the sonnets, too.) While her favorite plays sonalities structured? How do they come “With computers, Blackberries, the include and , Moran together in relationships? How are they Romeo and Juliet Hamlet internet, there is so much in our society that is particularly looking forward to PSF’s pro- distinctive individually? In The Winter’s isn’t real. Shakespeare is real: it’s genuine and duction of King Lear, in part because it is the Tale, few of the characters behaved in authentic. There’s music in the language. first time the Festival will produce it. conventional, expected ways. They sur- prised us. That made them interesting. “People should know about Shakespeare. Although she can’t recall exactly when He’s the greatest dramatist and poet of all she started attending PSF, she readily cites But beneath that, I sense a third layer, time,” she says. “And that’s why the Festival Greg Wood, Christopher Patrick Mullen, the primal stuff: fundamental human needs is so important. Nobody else in the Valley is Jim Helsinger, and Grace Gonglewski as like belonging, safety, power, freedom. Not producing Shakespeare on a regular basis, and four of her favorite PSF actors. Favorite what makes us unique as individuals but it’s important for people to be able to see it.” PSF productions include what we all share. I think this is why we The Winter’s Tale last season, Helsinger’s direction of say Shakespeare is universal. His explora- The The transformative impact of seeing in tion of this third layer is so intuitive, so Compleat Wrks of Wllm Shkspr (Abridged) Shakespeare performed live is essential to 1999 and inin 2001.2001. SheShe creditscredits insightful, and connects with us before we Charley’s Aunt Fr. Gerard Schubert, OSFS, PSF’s founder, are even aware. Because he is telling our for launching the Festival and Patrick story, the human story, the mirror reflects Mulcahy, producing artistic director, for his our natures, where the collective and the artistic leadership. individual meet. And so he pushes our but- tons with those incredible words, probing “Joan’s panoramic appreciation of those tender places we’ve tucked away. Shakespeare combined with her profound belief in the value of live performance make I think there is also a fourth layer, the her an ideal board member,” Mulcahy says. atomic layer, perhaps, beyond “the matrix.” Moran has served as a member of PSF’s At this level, I felt Henry IV, Part 1 was board of directors for six years and is cur- about order and chaos. The Winter’s Tale? rently the board’s secretary. “We are blessed About healing separation, but beyond that to have her support.” third layer need for belonging, more about healing the separation started perhaps by PSF is one of a number of Lehigh the Big Bang. Hamlet? LifeLife andand death.death. Valley arts organizations and environ- For me, this fourth layer derives from a mental groups Moran supports through fundamental question: what basic forces of the Amaranth Foundation, including form and existence does this play illumi- the Allentown Symphony Association, nate, reflect, or reveal indirectly? The truly Allentown Art Museum, Bach Choir of universal, as in the forces of the universe Bethlehem, Community Music School, the filtering up through our every action. Da Vinci Science Center, and the Wildlands Conservancy. How Shakespeare was able to do all that I will never understand. But why Joan Moran and her dog Canio, named for a Truly, her generosity to the Lehigh Valley else would we still be at it, 400 years on? character in the opera, Pagliacci. community is a bouquet that never fades. ■ Because it’s universal. ■ 2 • The Quill, Spring 2008 610.282.will King Lear: “Not for an Age, But for all Time” By Patrick Mulcahy about the ne’er-do-well son of a leader “See better, Lear!” says Lear’s faithful Producing Artistic Director who had to break with his partying past servant and friend Kent. The need for lucidi- I bumped into Chris Mullen in our to step into the authority he inherited had ty in our view of the world, and its impact on parking lot the other day and he said: “You some topical resonance.