Beyond the Page Theater Company’s performances of ‘Twelfth Night — The Musical’ begin Feb. 14 and end Feb. 22. Twelfth Night is a classic romantic comedy written by William Shakespeare, but this show in particular is a modern and melodious twist on the enduring tale.
“I went in like ‘Shakespeare adaptation? That’s kind of weird, I don’t know if it’s messing up his original work,’ but [now] I don’t think it does,” Jack St. Pierre, sophomore and actor for Malvolio, described.
Show run-time is about 90 minutes and includes 23 music numbers with an intermission. Tickets are sold at $15 for adults and $10 for students and can be purchased at the Kolgelman Theater prior to the performance or in advance online.
The music for the show was written by Shaina Taub, an actress and composer in the musical theater world who has won two Tony Awards in 2024 for her musical Suffs and was nominated for the MTI Award for Outstanding Music for the Twelfth Night adaptation. This nomination is well-deserved, according to the cast and crew for Beyond the Page.
“Honestly, the music is very good. In my opinion, incredibly underrated. I’ve actually never heard of Twelfth Night the Musical before this, so I was pleasantly surprised,” Cara Corcoran, freshman in the Props crew, said.
Besides being a musical, the show is also a comedy, including a range of humor that even caters towards more mature audiences.
“I feel like a lot of high schoolers would enjoy it,” Corcoran said, also warning that “there’s a little bit of swearing, so if you’ve got sensitive ears, maybe avoid that. But otherwise, I feel like it’s pretty much for anybody.”
This swearing includes a moment during the show where a swear word is censored by another character shouting over it. Despite a bit of gallows humor and swearing —both of which are fairly typical of a Shakespearean work— the show is still accessible to a broader audience, “…anyone could see it and have a good time,” St. Pierre said.
When it comes to the viewing experience, the show is complex with a collection of characters and plot points that combine to tell an interesting story.
“There’s lots of different aspects of different characters [and] once you watch [the whole show], it all makes sense… If you come see it, you’ll understand how it all comes together,” Lee Assefa, actor for the Illyrian described.
St. Pierre added that he looks forward to showing everyone the second act.
“Every time we get to Act Two, I’m like, ‘How does this scene go into this scene?’ All these crazy plots [go] on at the same time. Act One is basically a build-up for the insanity of Act Two,” St. Pierre said.
Assefa recommends that the audience doesn’t “blindly watch.”
“Pay attention… social hierarchy, pay attention to that,” she noted.
Maggie Hosek, freshman in the Sound crew, similarly recommends remaining attentive as “sometimes the one-off jokes are the funniest.”
Preparation for the show has taken weeks, including several weekends. Actors and crew worked together to build the set meanwhile the individual departments progressed on their own areas. These rehearsals and tech days haven’t been without trouble, though.
“…we were supposed to have a [typical] set day. Everyone was going to come in and help on the set, but Springbank was getting its water fixed that day, so they only called people who were necessary. They didn’t call any of the actors,” said Hosek.
The recent inclement weather conditions causing school closures also presented difficulties.
“I think the only setback was the snow week, so the show had to be pushed back,” Assefa explained.
Some highlights of the labor include the set and costumes, which Corcoran and Assefa feel deserve some appreciation.
“I was there while they were making the set and they put a lot of effort into it. …Give a little shout out to the set group because they’re working really hard. They’ve got a lot of people that are very talented and I don’t think I could do the things they do,” Corcoran said.
Corcoran herself even folded an estimated 100 origami flowers, though not all of them may have been used. “It was awesome,” she said.
Acting in the show has been a unique experience for Assefa, who said she felt that building connections during the rehearsals has impacted how the performance itself feels. “When we’re interacting with each other on stage —since it’s like actual interactions that I have with people— it’s not just like you’re faking, you’re actually having genuine reaction to things.”
Jack St. Pierre, Cara Corcoran, Maggie Hosek, and Lee Assefa are all excited and invite people to come see the musical. According to Hosek, “It’s gonna be a great show.”
“It supports the school itself and the theater program. It allows people to express themselves creatively… and make friends,” Corcoran said.
“Tickets on sale now,” she added.
MUSICAL NUMBERS
PLAY ON
WORD ON THE STREET
TELL HER
IF YOU WERE MY BELOVED
IF YOU WERE MY BELOVED (REPRISE)
VIOLA’S SOLILOQUY
YOU’RE THE WORST
IS THIS NOT LOVE
COUNT MALVOLIO
(Intermission)
I AM SHE
WORD ON THE STREET (II)
COUNT MALVOLIO (REPRISE)
WHAT KINDA MAN R U GONNA BE?
VIOLA’S SOLILOQUY (REPRISE)
GREATNESS
SEBASTIAN SOLILOQUY
WORD ON THE STREET (III)
VIOLA’S SOLILOQUY (2ND REPRISE)
TELL HER (REPRISE)
I AM SHE (REPRISE)
MALVOLIO’S EXIT
IS THIS NOT LOVE (REPRISE)
EYES OF ANOTHER
Cast
FESTE – Ayla Collins
VIOLA/CESARIO – Lizzie Kendrick
SEBASTIAN – Adam Pedigo
OLIVIA – Eliza Froemke
MARIA – Perrin Ash
TOBY – Basleel Dlnessa
ANDREW – Micah Thomas
FABIAN – Violet Boyd
MALVOLIO – Jack St. Pierre
LADIES IN WAITING – Eva McGee, Hollin Nafrada, Kaitlyn Porter, & Liz Porter
ORSINO – Charlie Kirgan
LORDS IN WAITING / OFFICERS – Finau Saipaia, Shane Sayles, & Yadiel Bustillo
ANTONIO – Adrian Castellon
OFFICIANT – Allison Miller
MAIL PERSON – Liz Porter
ATTENDANT – Oliver Lankina
ILLYRIANS – Allison Miller, Beeh Work-Dembowski, Belky Alvarenga-Mendez, Charlotte Parker, Hannah Kavanagh, Lee Assefa, Oliver Lankina, Sam Glassman, Sofia Caloggi, Sunny Call
Understudies
FESTE – Eva McGee
VIOLA/CESARIO – Hannah Kavanagh
SEBASTIAN – Shane Sayles
OLIVIA – Kaitlyn Porter
MARIA – Belky Alvarenga-Mendez
TOBY – Sam Glassman
ANDREW – Oliver Lankina
FABIAN – Lee Assefa
MALVOLIO – Beeh Work-Dembowski
ORSINO – Sunny Call
