Image courtesy of UDHS
Performances run from Nov. 12 to 16 at the high school's performing arts center.
If you are walking into the Black Box Theater, as the Upper Dublin High School presents Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night, don’t be alarmed by the 1990s setting. The romantic comedy will go on, and the story will be told, but you might not expect its setting.
The high school’s theatre department welcomes all to its Performing Arts Center this week for its featured presentation of “Twelfth Night.” And, if the graphic didn’t tip you off, it isn’t the typical period piece.
“Join us on the California coast, during the 1990s, when ‘Saved by the Bell’ and the original ‘90210’ were hot on TV,” said the department’s advertisement for the play. “You might recognize some of these fashion trends and character archetypes.”
If you’re familiar with the typical tale, you’ll still remember some of the names. Perhaps it is only the faces that have changed.
“When twins, Viola and Sebastian, are separated by a sailing accident in the ocean, they each assume the other is drowned,” said the preview of the event. “Viola washes ashore at Illyria and goes undercover as Cesario working for the Duke Orsino.”
The original storyline, developed by William Shakespeare, was believed to have been written in 1601 or 1602, well before the hair scrunchie and pegged jean trends of the 1990s. The Upper Dublin’s High School presentation takes a modern twist on the time-old tale.
A slight tweak of a shipwreck to a “sailing accident” isn’t the only difference you may notice. The audience won’t have to stress about the “where for art thou” language barriers or difficult to understand plots. And, we promise, there is no essay exam afterwards, either.
“Meanwhile, Sebastian is taken under his best friend, Antonia’s, watchful and loving wing, elsewhere on the coast,” explained the UDHS primer. “While at Illyria, and under disguise, “she” is employed to woo the beautiful Oliva on behalf of the Duke, but Olivia falls in love with Cesario, and thus a love triangle is formed.”
Does this sound familiar? It isn’t hard to image the Elizabethan era story being swapped out for an episode of Maury. It seems, no matter the decade, some things just never change.
“Adding in a meddling troubadour, mooching uncle, house guest who over-extended his stay, and a maniacal employee who is being goaded by a mastermind, you have one of The Bard’s comedic masterpieces that all wraps up with, what else, a wedding,” said the department of its upcoming production. “Who gets married? Do the twins reunite? This romantic comedy has something for everyone.”
Performances of the Upper Dublin High School’s Nov. 12, 14, 15, and 16 at 7 p.m. There will be a single matinee on Nov. 16, at 2 p.m. (There are two shows that day, 2 and 7 p.m.)
Tickets are $13 for seniors and students and $15 for general admission. Tickets can be purchased online here. For more information on the performance, visit https://udhstheatre.ticketleap.com/twelfthnight/.
The Upper Dublin High School Black Box Theater is located at 800 Loch Alsh Ave., in Fort Washington, Pa.
