Here’s the scenario:
- Girl meets Boy.
- But Girl is disguised as a guy.
- Boy enlists Girl-disguised-as-guy to help him woo Rich Lady.
- Rich Lady falls in love with Girl-disguised-as-guy instead, all while Girl-disguised-as-guy pines for Boy.
- Girl’s twin brother shows up, Rich Lady mistakes him for Girl, marries him, and hilarity ensues.
This might sound like the convoluted plot of a teenage romantic comedy, and in a way, it is. But this particular rom-com was written four centuries ago by one of the English language’s greatest playwrights.
Northfield Mount Hermon’s Theater Department attempts to untangle this web of love and lies when it presents William Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” on Oct. 31 through Nov. 2 in the Rhodes Arts Center’s Chiles Theater. Melding modern aesthetics with historical parallels, the production offers an innovative take on this classic comedy, exploring ideas around gender roles, love’s illusions, and the nature of identity.
NMH Theater Director Jared Eberlein said the idea to do “Twelfth Night” sprang from a recent trip to England and a desire to offer students a chance to perform in a classic piece of theater. “I think thematically it's a really exciting story to explore this idea of the masks we wear, the identities we allow ourselves to be in, and the idea of finding beauty in authentic ways versus superficial ways,” he said.
While both Shakespeare’s language and the place he occupied in the pantheon of classical theater can be intimidating for actors, the cast eased into their roles as they came to know the characters and realized how accessible (and funny) Shakespeare’s work is. “The joy in working with students on Shakespeare is sort of taking him down off of that pedestal – not just lifting him gently down from the shelf, but toppling him off the soapbox – into somewhere that fits in [students’] lives,” said Eberlein.
Brooke Hindinger ’25, who plays Viola in the play, was inspired to audition because of her admiration for Shakespeare’s work. “There’s something special about the humor from 1602 resonating with an audience more than 400 years later,” she said.
Part of the draw to playing Viola was the chance to interact with the audience, she added. “In a way, Viola’s an audience member to her own life, going with the flow as she's swept away on the whims of Orsino and Olivia. The audience gets to see inside her private moments, where she processes overwhelming plot twists in real time.”
For a play predicated upon the appearances, setting the tone early through technical design is paramount, said NMH costume designer Ellie De Lucia. “Your eyes are the first visual receptor, obviously,” she said. “There's a lot of things that we subtly catalog in our brain, and my job is to make sure that we subconsciously understand what's going on.”
NMH’s production of “Twelfth Night” is set in the 1950s — an idea that came from watching reruns of classic TV shows from the era, such as “I Love Lucy,” De Lucia said. The setting allows the production to draw historical parallels between Shakespeare’s setting and the mid-20th century.
“The ’50s were really affluent: World War II ended and now you don't have any bans or sanctions on any fabrics – it's a time of luxury,” said De Lucia. “You had ‘Hollywood glam’: Lucille Ball, Lauren Bacall, Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley.”
To portray the class hierarchies and sumptuous ambiance of the ’50s era, the production team utilized a vast array of cultural touchstones: Hawaiian shirts, golf, and popular music from the time period. “There are reasons behind every single thing you choose, even if it’s subconscious,” De Lucia said. “An audience member might come in and have no idea where we are, what we're doing, what kind of vibe we're going for. You want to be able to transport them exactly to wherever we are.”
As stage manager, Fiona Cutchins ’25 plays a vital role in weaving all of these elements together. From blocking stage movements to syncing lighting and musical cues, her unique position allows her to see the progression of each piece of the production. It’s also helped her appreciate the hard work that goes into a theatrical production from every member of the team. “I'm kind of like a bridge between the cast and the crew,” she said. “I kind of get to oversee both, which has given me a new understanding of just how much work both sides have done.”
Ultimately, the hope is that audience members will come away from “Twelfth Night” laughing, but also with a sense of the very real questions of human existence that lie below the play’s surface, Eberlein said. Despite the play’s age, he added, “these stories are for here and now.”
The genius of Shakespearian comedy is its ability to “lighten the load on topics that aren't so easy to talk about,” said De Lucia. “I think that it's kind of perfect for students to look at and hopefully gets them interested in Shakespeare in general.”
— By Max Hunt
Play poster by Rei Yang '28. Rehearsal photos by Aurora Song '26.
The NMH Theater Department’s production of Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” opens Thursday, Oct. 31, at 7:30 pm, with additional shows on Friday, Nov. 1, at 7:30 pm and Saturday, Nov. 2, at 2 pm and 7:30 pm. Tickets are free but must be reserved in advance.