Benjamin Eakeley, T. Doyle Leverett and Joel Blum.
Photo by Gerry Goodstein.

Excerpted from the review by Naomi Siegel

Sunday, December 12, 2004

Illyria is "high-spirited and utterly engaging." It "deserves an unequivocal thumbs-up!" Peter Mills and Cara Reichel "have managed to do the near impossible. They have taken Shakespeare's comic masterpiece, kept its Elizabethan spirit, voice and wit, yet created a new, accessible work that brashly and, at times, poignantly, speaks to contemporary musical theatre."

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Excerpted from the review by Robert L. Daniels
Monday, December 6, 2004

The latest musicalization of William Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night," the Shakespeare Theater of New Jersey's season-closer "Illyria," is a crisp, lighthearted fancy acted with considerable vitality and charm, bolstered by a hummable score.

In this loose reworking of a classic comedy, Peter Mills has retained just enough snippets of Shakespeare to savor the source, and his accompanying score is considerably bright, melodic and engaging. Olivia passionately surrenders to love in "Undone" and Maria, acted with sauce and spunk by Kristie Dale Sanders, stands her ground with "The Man Is Mine." "Patience" is Viola's sweet confessional of harbored longing.

...Shaddow is a sweet picture of innocence in her boyish vest and knickers, and she sings like a morning lark.

Ames Adamson is a devilishly delicious scene-stealer as Malvolio, the vain and vulnerable tragic steward. Duped by the carousing Sir Toby Belch and his cronies, the foolish pawn finds himself wooing a startled countess with misguided ardor. Adamson (repeating the role he originated in the 2002 Prospect Theater Co. production) not only captures the broad comic cartoon of the character, but reveals his subtly tragic core. He also turns "Malvolio's Tango" into an artful, amusing spin.

With a booming, bellowing voice, T. Doyle Leverett invests a commanding mix of blowsy bluster in the role of Belch, the hardy plotting braggart, while Benjamin Eakeley is a delightfully insipid fool as Sir Andrew Aguecheek. A fluttering ninny, Eakeley's loose-limbed perf would appear to be inspired by Ray Bolger's Scarecrow. Feste, the quick-tongued fool, is acted by Joel Blum with a breezy, blithe spirit.

Director Paul Mullins has balanced the hardy humor and the rapture of romanticism with flashes of comic invention and reverence to the Bard. A spare, functional set centered by a staircase leaves plenty of room for the hijinx, and the period costumes are attractively tidy.

... Considering the shortage of original musicals, this production is so well cast and so infectiously melodic that it cries out for future life.

To read the full review, click here

© 2004 Reed Business Information 
© 2004 Variety, Inc.

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Excerpted from "Doing Right By the Bard"
By Peter Filichia
Monday, December 6, 2004

Some say that Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night" was really the world's first musical. After all, when the Bard wrote the show in 1601, he included six songs.

But a half-dozen tunes does not a full musical make, so thank heaven for Peter Mills, who came in to finish the job -- and did it beautifully. The results can now be seen in a smash hit called "Illyria" at the Shakespeare Theater of New Jersey.

Musical theater enthusiasts may be moaning, "Haven't we enough 'Twelfth Night' musicals?" Indeed, the play has been mined by many other composers and lyricists. But take it from someone who's now seen six musical "Twelfth Nights": This is the best of the bunch.

Mills, adapting the book with his wife Cara Reichel, made one significant change. If Shakespeare is looking down from heaven into the Madison playhouse, he may be smoting his head and saying, "Oh, why didn't I think of that?"

...Elena Shaddow's...voice is distinctively soprano. It's also glorious.

Ames Adamson is dandy as Malvolio turns from finicky secretary into an out-of-his-mind lovesick fool. The smile he adopts is priceless. Think of what Teddy Roosevelt's would have been after a minor stroke.

As Maria, Kristie Dale Sanders seems like the musical version of Julia Louis-Dreyfus, which is meant as a big compliment. Joel Blum -- who must juggle, do cartwheels, and eat food off the floor as Feste -- is a jack of all trades and master of just as many. T. Doyle Leverett isn't just the buffoon that so many others have made Sir Toby Belch, but suggests why he was once made a knight. Benjamin Eakeley, as Aguecheek, is costumed not unlike a kangaroo, and he bounds across the stage like one, too.

Sebastian only gets one song, but [Chris] Peluso sings it wonderfully. The cast is so strong that Darren Matthias plays a nothing role -- a pirate -- and makes something out of it by playing it honestly and with character.

Alas, this musical version of "Twelfth Night" has only 16 more nights to play. If ever a show warranted an extension, "Illyria" is the one.

To read the full review, click here

© nj.com

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Excerpted from

"The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey
concludes its season with a musical based on 'Twelfth Night.'"
By Stuart Duncan
December 8, 2004

...It was only a matter of time before someone would write a musical on the subject, and it's been tried: Your Own Thing in 1968; Love and Let Love, the same year; and Play On in 1997. None were successful. But Illyria, making its regional debut at The Shakespeare Theatre in Madison, may finally do the trick. It is a bubbly evening with a talented company, directed with a great sense of fun by Paul Mullins. The creators -- Peter Mills (music, lyrics and co-adaptor) and Cara Reichel (co-adaptor) both graduated from Princeton University about a decade ago and cut their teeth in the Triangle Club.

The music ranges from pretty ballads -- "Whoever You Are" could well be a top-40 number -- to rousing show stoppers. "Cakes and Ale," sung as a five-part drinking song, stops this evening right in its tracks. A first-act finale, "Save One," and an earlier number, "The Man is Mine," both do the same.

Mills' lyrics can be romantic when needed, but also can be witty or bawdy when called for: "The kind of man I'd classify/ Impossible to pacify/ Sir Knight I'd watch my ass/ If I were you."

A cast of mostly newcomers serves it up like champagne in long-stemmed glasses. Joel Blum, as Feste the clown, sets a fast pace right from the prologue, as if challenging the company. In turn, each picks up the gauntlet: Steve Wilson, as the Duke, trailing his long red robe and finding just the right bounce on the next-to-last step of the long stairway; Maria Couch, as Viola the countess, biding her time until she slithers into a number that would satisfy the customers of The Old Howard in Boston; T. Doyle Leverett, as Sir Toby, relying on much more than the customary sotted behavior to develop a genuinely memorable characterization; Benjamin Eakeley, as his colleague Sir Andrew Aguecheek, boyish, playful and naive rather than the usual dullard; Kristine Dale Sanders, with perhaps the best musical-comedy voice as Maria, the maid; Elena Shaddow and Chris Peluso as the tormented brother and sister; and Ames Adamson as the supercilious and much-abused Malvolio.

A seven-piece orchestra, led from the piano by F. Wade Russo, seems to be having as much fun as the on-stage performers.

There is much talk about Illyria moving to New York. Certainly it has the charm, the energy and the real zest to please. See for yourself.

To read the full review, click here

© News Classifieds Entertainment Business - Princeton and Central New Jersey 2004

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Excerpted from "Illyria: Musical Twelfth Night Provides Grand Finale for
Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey Season"
By Bob Rendell
December 6, 2004

...Illyria, the newest stage musical version of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, is a farcical delight...

There is a truly ensemble cast, and each principal takes full advantage of multiple opportunities to shine. Elena Shaddow sings beautifully, and is a believably warm and sympathetic Viola. Stranded alone in Illyria, Viola is impersonating her lost at sea brother Sebastian, so as not to fall prey to predators. Shaddow is the “straight man” around whom the farce revolves, and she is superb in performing this task.

Maria Couch is Olivia, the countess in mourning for her brother. As she falls in love with the faux Sebastian, her classic musical theatre stylings applied to farcically dramatic Broadway style show tunes are among Illyria’s highlights.

Steve Wilson’s duke Orsino walks the line of farce in his self-absorbed courtship of Olivia. In doing so, Wilson is an appropriately comic figure while preserving the ability to be believable in his at first confused, and then accepting, passion for the person whom he knows as Sebastian. His second act ballad, “Whoever You Are,” is one of the best of the evening.

Chris Peluso, as the real Sebastian, provides a terrific deadpan response to Orsino’s blandishments and then strongly and divertingly sings the lively “The Lady Must Be Mad.”

Much, if not the largest amount, of stage time goes to the play’s clowns. It is difficult to complain when they are as terrific and terrifically successful as the ones assembled here. Joel Blum is simply superb as the jester. His lithe movement, deft lyric and quizzical line readings are delightfully delivered with deceptive ease...

Along with the jester, the comedic members of Olivia’s household are her profligate uncle, Sir Toby (T. Doyle Leverett); her maid Maria (Kristie Dale Sanders), who has Sir Toby in her sights; her pompous steward, Malvolio (Ames Adamson); and would be suitor Sir Andrew Aguecheek, (Benjamin Eakeley). Wonderful farceurs all. Leverett conveys the misplaced confidence of a not so master manipulator. Sanders is vocally impressive singing “The Man is Mine.” Adamson is bang on John Cleese in pompous idiot mode. Eakeley is the perfect fool...

... Mills' dialogue is felicitous, his storytelling clear, and his humor, at least in the hands of the cast at hand, extremely effective.

...director Paul Mullins delivers a polished, lively and most entertaining production, eliciting terrific performances from an exceptionally strong cast.

It is a shame that Illyria is only scheduled through December 26 as it is an ideal family show for the Christmas-New Years vacation period. Let us be grateful that for the next four weeks, Illyria will brighten our holiday season.

To read the full review, click here

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