BBC's Twelfth Night

This is how I picture Illyria. (Really it's the Oregon coast)

Well, I suppose I should also make some kind of comment about the movie Brooke and I watched together. Brooke gives a great summary on her blog talking about what BBC did and didn't do with the characters. For the most part I agree. I feel like they did a creditable job of doing a relatively more modern interpretation.
I have to say though, there are aspects of the movie I didn't like. Part of it may have been my expectation that it be a little more farcical. That was how my reading of the play was: laughing was my most common reaction to it. But the movie brought some of those more interesting tensions to the surface, which I wasn't expecting. As a result, I was both intrigued and annoyed.
I do agree that the Duke was horribly cast. Although the lines are not the easiest to work with, I feel like some other actors could have brought more to the table in that situation. Don't ask me why, but I see Robert Downey, Jr. doing great in that role. Just a hunch! Maybe he's simply more manly than that other guy...blech.
Anyway, despite the melancholy overtones at the beginning, the movie turned out all right. I do agree that Feste's role proved to be an interesting interpretation. That was one direction I really liked.

So, this movie made me think, what direction would I go if I had to recreate Twelfth Night?
A few changes:

• I would, of course, choose a cast that melds well together, without having to convince the audience of their cohesiveness. (one thing really lacking at the beginning of the BBC version).
• I would probably choose to set the time period further back, like Shakespeare's time.
• There would probably be more hedonistic overtones in the Duke of Orcino's court. That's just how I envision it. That would bring in the carnival element that the intro in our book talks about.
• I would definitely bring in some elements of the farce like in The Importance of Being Earnest. I know Oscar Wilde is vastly different from Shakespeare, but it could be both entertaining and interesting. 
• I would make sure the soundtrack is uplifting and well done. (And matches the scene).

So there you have it. What would you do?

Duke Orcino: What is Going Through that Noble Mind?

I found that all of the characters in Twelfth Night met or exceeded my expectations. Except for Duke Orcino. He tried my patience from the very beginning with an irritating monologue. And then, he is the most irritating suitor to Lady Olivia! He sends Viola/Cesario over to convince her of his love every SINGLE day. Olivia is probably just wishing he'd give her some space. No wonder she went for Cesario, who knows how to be tactful (since he's a woman).
Ok, and if that isn't enough, Feste plays him for a fool in the last act by tricking the Duke to give him more money. Who would fall for that?
And lastly, he didn't even wait to see Viola in maiden clothing before he proposed. A little impetuous, perhaps? It's not like he's proposing to a stranger, but you have to admit that change of gender changes everything.
So there it is. I don't like the Duke. I'm guessing he wasn't Shakespeare's favorite character either. Why else is he the only one in the play who possesses the talent of making you yawn?

Maria the Prankster in Twelfth Night

Maria left a note in Lady Olivia's handwriting to convince Malvolio of the lady's secret affection.

So I just read Act 2, Scene 5, from Twelfth Night, and I have to say that I really admire Maria. Not many women in that time would have dared to play a prank on the chamberlain of the house, second in command to Lady Olivia herself. She's got guts!
I'd just like to take a quick look into her motives...
1. She hates Malvolio for being a jerk and a spoilsport. (Duh!)
2. He is extremely overbearing in how he exerts his authority over her and the rest of the household.
3. I imagine that Maria has a great respect for Lady Olivia, but where Malvolio is concerned, Lady Olivia's judgment seems to be lacking. Maria probably resents Malvolio's standing with Lady Olivia to a certain degree.
4. She knows how much Sir Toby and Sir Andrew hate Malvolio as well, so she has an appreciative audience.
5. In many ways, she is Malvolio's foil because in every way he is depressing and oppressive, she is the exact opposite.
6. She likes to have fun! She knows she'll get a good laugh out of a joke like this.
So there you have it. These reasons may seem obvious or even irrelevant, but I think they might come in handy later on.
Maria is brazen and energetic and totally appeals to us as Americans for that very reason.

Twelfth Night and Comic Cross-dressing

Found at http://www.listal.com/list/drag-king

Dr. Burton brought up an interesting point today how many of Shakespeare's comedies have cross-dressing in them. I was wondering about that myself. I had the opportunity to read an article/blog on Shakespearean Cross Dressing on Yahoo! Associated Content. The author of the said blog theorizes that women dressed up as men in order to become actors in that day, thus making the tangle of genders in plays like Twelfth Night even more distressing. I honestly don't know whether this idea has any merit, although it's interesting to think about. The writer did not have any sources to back up this theory, so it could just be a shot in the dark.
What does everyone think?