The Royal Players and Saline County Shakes production of William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night will be held at the Royal Theatre in Historic Downtown Benton February 8-18. Performances are at 7 p.m. Thursday through Saturday; Sunday matinee starts at 2 p.m. Tickets may be purchased at theroyalplayers.com, and reservations are available at 501-315-5483. There is a special for teachers who accompany student groups; for information please contact [email protected]. The theater is located at 111 S. Market.
This production is directed by Michael Bartholmey, who has directed with both Royal Players and Saline County Shakes, and has been adapted to last about two hours.
Critically acclaimed as one of Shakespeare's most complex and intriguing plays, Twelfth Night is a classic romantic comedy of mistaken identities. When Viola ends up shipwrecked on the opposite side of an island as her nearly identical twin brother, she decides to disguise herself as a boy. Meanwhile, Orsino, a duke on the island, is attempting to woo the Countess Olivia. Olivia falls in love with Orsino's messenger (Viola in disguise) who is now in love with the duke. All is set right when the twins finally meet face to face. Similar plots can be found in modern comedies, but many of the ideas originated with the Bard. The cast for the Royal production follows:
Savannah Price - Viola
Andrew McBride - Duke Orsino
Claudia Moskova-Cremeens - Countess Olivia
Nicholas Bell - Sebastian
Joshua Grandon - Malvolio
Robert Minton - Sir Toby
Hillary Bell - Sir Andrew
Rebecca Minton - Maria
Destiny Marchese - Feste, the Fool
Delany Leslie – Antonia
Michael Bartholmey - Fabian
Cindy Bell - A Captain
Isabelle Marchese - Valentine
Donna Jo Pelle –Curio
For additional information or to schedule publicity, contact Susan Dill, 501-317-6314, [email protected].