Emily Laidlaw disguised as the young man Cesario brings declarations of love from ‘his’ employer, Duke Orsino, who is unsuccessfully trying to woo Olivia, in a scene from ‘Twelfth Night.’
The Lethbridge Shakespeare Performance Society is delighted to be returning to Fort Macleod with one of Shakespeare’s best-loved plays, Twelfth Night.
The performance is at 7 p.m. Friday, July 5 at the Empress Theatre.
Believed to be written around 1601-1602, this romantic comedy is full of charm, tomfoolery and wonderful characters.
The show was originally entertainment for the Christian celebration of the Twelfth Day of Christmas and the coming Epiphany.
The text of the show has iconic Shakespearean sayings coupled with a fun filled love triangle.
A girl disguises herself as a boy to be near the man that she loves and the resulting gender confusion is the cornerstone to the play’s comedy.
Add in a drunken dame, a cowardly knight, a mischief-making maid and Jester, and a puritanical and bossy steward — then sit back and enjoy the craziness and the fun.
All ends more or less happily, with Shakespeare’s trademark romantic marriages.
Lethbridge Shakespeare Performance Society has been presenting seasons of Shakespeare’s plays in southern Alberta since 2012.
This will be the eighth year the society has brought a show to the Empress Theatre.
As well as the performances in Fort Macleod and in Lethbridge parks, CASA, and the Japanese Garden, the Lethbridge Shakespeare Performance Society also performs each summer in Nanton and High River — a total of eight different venues —with the Empress definitely being the favourite for many of the actors.
T/he society’s outstanding actors, designers and technicians bring to life the brilliant words of one of the greatest playwrights of all time.
The society’s goal is to immerse the audience into the world of the play. By setting and costuming the show in the original period, the audience gets a greater sense of Shakespeare’s original intent.
Whether you are familiar with Twelfth Night or this is a completely new story to you, Lethbridge Shakespeare Performance Society hopes you will join them in the lovely setting of the historic Empress Theatre to continue the celebration of the vibrant history of Fort Macleod in its 150th year.
Tickets for Twelfth Night are available from macleodempress.com or 403-553-4404.
