CCNY Spices Up Shakespeare's Twelfth Night

This week, Professor David Willinger directs the Shakespearean classic Twelfth Night with a twist, taking our acting students (shown in photo at a rehearsal) and their audiences outside the traditional Elizabethan box."Shakespeare lends itself to all sorts of far-fetched treatments," commented Willinger via email, "and Latin dance and music make a bridge between contemporary culture, which is familiar to the audience more or less, and the difficult [Shakespearean] language."After Willinger discovered Zumba, the dance fitness program that combines Latin and international music, he fell in love with the energy and emotionally charged music and dance. He decided to incorporate this experience into a show to share with audiences. "It seems like a difficult combination but it's actually blending quite well," he explained.At CCNY, students may be unfamiliar with a good Shakespearean mash-up, but Willinger takes it to a new level. The cast is composed of both experienced actors and amateurs who decided to take a chance on the play after attending Willinger's acting classes. Max Stein plays the role of Sebastian. He transferred from the University of Buffalo and is now in his second semester at CCNY. It has been quite the experience, says Stein, who is actually playing this role for the second time in his life, but obviously for the first time with this Latin influence.Stein is not the only cast member who is dedicated to Twelfth Night. Deshawn Wyatte postponed a scholarship at an acting school to perform in Willinger's play. He also sports a tattoo of a verse from Twelfth Night.Joining Wyatte, Amanda Moreau, another transfer student, decided to study at CCNY after attending a theater production here. Enticed by the eclectic variation of plays and actors, she knew that if she wanted to further her acting experience the best place to do it was at CCNY."[Willinger] gives everyone a chance in the spotlight and treats everyone equal," said Moreau, also the lead dancer in Twelfth Night.  "He realizes the importance of the entire cast." Moreau added that she's looking forward to her role in the play, though she has only one line.Other cast members: Amy Sanchez, a first time actress, Christian Bravo, a future police officer, and many other students with various backgrounds who plan to pursue different futures. Most of the actors were drawn out either by their love of the play and its humor or their appreciation for Willinger's style and attitude.Twelfth Night is a play full of humor and love triangles, and in many ways Willinger's take on the script exemplifies the iconic first line: "If music be the food of love, play on." While the play is saucy on its own, the physical acting by the cast and intense dance scenes make it even spicier."Twelfth Night combines high comedy and farce," Willinger said, "so I think of the circus, of The Three Stooges, The Marx Brothers, and things like that. The humor in this play is very bawdy; Shakespeare isn't puritanical, and so neither are we, to say the least!" In so many words Twelfth Night is sure to be hysterical from its Shakespearian roots but also enticing due to the very physical acting and naturally humorous cast."This play has a lot to say about the nature of love, about peoples' blindness to themselves, about human cruelty," said Willinger. "It's both hilarious and very poignant. As one of my mentors…Ellen Stewart, the founder of La Mama theatre used to tell me:  'We're putting on a show. What have you got to show?' Well, in this cast I think we've got a LOT to show - a lot of talent, a lot of fun, and a lot of life. I have no doubt that it will be a gas for anyone who comes."Twelfth Night opens March 17 at 7 P.M. in Aaron Davis Hall and plays through March 19. For more information, visit the CCNY Theatre Program's website at www.ccny.cuny.edu/prospective/humanities/theater.