TWELFTH NIGHT, OR WHAT YOU WILL Some bawdy comic bits enliven actor-director Charles Pasternak’s uneven production of the Bard’s comedy. After a shipwreck, Viola (Jai Khalsa) finds herself alone in a foreign land going undercover as a young man, and helps her new employer, Orsino, Duke of Illyria (Bryant Romo), woo the uninterested Lady Olivia (Jessica Kaye Temple). Among the play’s jokes is Olivia’s romantic attraction to the new messenger, as well as a prank on Olivia’s servant, aptly named Malvolio (director Pasternak) that is both well executed and funny. In a pleasant twist, Eddie Castuera underplays the clown Feste while Pasternak hilariously overplays Malvolio. Aside from some pacing problems in Act 1, the main problem with this production is Khalsa’s rather listless performance as Viola, compounded by her occasionally stiff line readings. Nevertheless, the supporting players are excellent, and the nearly bare stage keeps the focus on Shakespeare’s language. (Sandra Ross)
