Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare
Bialystock & Bloom
directed by Paula Suozzi
	
	Sarah Behrendt as Viola and Michael Chmiel as Sebastian really are the anchors or 
matching bookends of this production. Behrendt’s performance is full of incredibly 
felicitous physical movements which make the audience accept her as Cesario. The way 
she holds her hands, uses her fingers, and plants her legs are so subtle and so true to her 
assumption of a male persona that it is confusing on a deep almost unconscious level. 
There are no gross macho gestures or cheap caricatures. There is a sense that the actress 
studied men with a wonderful aesthetic economy and distilled precisely what was needed 
for her character. 
	Chmiel on the other hand mines the sensitive emotional feminine side of his 
Sebastian to suggest the ambivalent sexual nature of men and women. His manifestly 
precipitous mood swings and uncritical acceptance of love are more common to hapless 
ingenues than to young heroes. The contrast of Sebastian’s soft, open and vulnerability 
with Viola’s subtle assumed masculinity reveals the mystery and magic of this delightful 
comedy.
	  Megan Cornelius as Olivia manages to combine an intense emotional drive (which 
tradition would consider masculine) with an appealing feminine physical presence. Hers is 
a charmingly winning performance. Timothy Reynolds as the Duke Orsino began his 
performance with such passionate energy that he set my teeth on edge. He seemed to seize 
the character by the scruff of the neck and shake it into submission. This very vigorous 
approach allowed for a surprising amount of growth and development. Orsino is 
frequently a lovesick spoiled brat of a noble man whose marriage seems a matter of poetic 
symmetry rather than true love. In this production all the weddings are rooted in character 
plausible enough for even a cynical reviewer to be charmed.
	To my mind, Malvolio is the hardest role in TWELFTH NIGHT. If he is a total 
stinker we want him driven inexorably mad. If he is just a precious nerd we find his fate 
overkill and in any case his presence at the end does not seem to harmonize with the 
wedding party. Richard Carsey plays Malvolio as sufficiently arrogant as to inspire a desire 
for revenge on the part of the merry band of minor characters while being dumb enough to 
bring about his own fall from grace. Carsey is amusing without being so silly as to lose all 
sense of authority.
	Jonathan West’s Sir Toby Belch began just a tad larger than life but had a 
consistent energy level that made Maria’s marriage to him seem reasonable. All the 
characters have an energy level to their acting that made this venerable critic wonder if 
they could survive the run. Jane Kramer’s Feste was a surprise because of her taking what 
is normally a male role and making it completely her own.  She sang Josh Schmidt’s 
setting of the songs so beautifully as to lift the entire production.  
	The interior of the Studio Theater was magically transformed into an island 
paradise by Steven Langenecker’s scene design with assistance from Kurt Schnabel’s 
lighting. Melanie Schnessler’s costume designs are very effective and stylish. Two cast 
members deserve additional special credit for very important work. Timothy Reynolds 
served as fight choreographer keeping the cast alive. Raeleen McMillion served as dialect 
coach and did a very good job, indeed.
	While full marks must be given to the redoubtable combine (or conspiracy) called 
Bialystock and Bloom for this, their largest and most ambitious production, Paula Suozzi 
must be cited as a Jill of all trades. I’m sorry, but how does one suggest that someone 
demonstrates not only knowledge but full technical prowess in a complex craft and art? I 
understand that in my lifetime women have demonstrated their competence and skill in 
many professional areas. I never minded women as doctors, lawyers, scholars, etc. I admit 
to being given pause for thought by the clear demonstration of sensitivity and emotional 
insight demonstrated by women directing. Mind you, directing operas, staging plays, and 
participating in a triathlon seems pushing, but directors tend to be overachievers by nature. 
No one seeing this production can suggest that there is any sign of Ms. Suozzi  stretching 
her talent too thin. I was particularly struck by the authority and control with which Ms. 
Suozzi controlled the pace of this production. She allowed the complex relationships and 
exposition of the first half of the show to dictate the rhythm of the dialogue and the action. 
She resisted the temptation to race through the exposition. She gave the audience time to 
get to know the characters and the situation. Once the audience was at ease she whipped 
up the action to pure farce when appropriate.
Watching TWELFTH NIGHT, I found myself marveling at the remarkable 
assemblage of talent, professionalism, and chutzpah accomplished by Bialystock & Bloom. 
That this group manage to produce remarkable theater is a positive result of Milwaukee’s 
artistic ferment. Wouldn’t it be fascinating to see the MRT and a group like Bialystock 
and Bloom swapping locations, budgets, and staff for one production during the season? 
Watching the considerable talents of the MRT making creative decisions to 
produce a show on a shoe string could be rewarding for all concerned. The cross 
pollination of audiences might make for more support for the theater in Milwaukee even it 
none of the funds spent on the new stadium will ever be spent to provide more theater 
space and foster new companies. 
TWELFTH NIGHT runs only through June 14. Call 297-9010 and book your 
tickets as soon as possible. 
DMD