The Collegian

Issue date: 10/21/05 Section: No Limits

Media Credit: Lisanne White Brian Peccia as Orsino is surrounded by an aray of belly dancers

Delta College drama students showed Saturday night they can hang with Shakespeare. Playing to only a half-full house and recovering nicely from some technical difficulties before the show began, the cast delivered a pleasant performance of "Twelfth Night."

Upon entering the theater, one was immediately transported to a Polynesian island with instructor John White's incredibly detailed and beautifully constructed set design; even the ocean backdrop rippled and glistened. Adding to the authentic scenery were soothing sounds of the ocean and wildlife, which were constant throughout the show.

The culture clash of the island, a moralistically charged European influence, mixed with the traditional Polynesian, are both represented in Beverly Norcross' costume design. Norcross created a sea of color with brightly hued sarongs and halos of flowers for the Polynesian dancers/attendants, and the characters of Maria, and Olivia. Contrasting that were the characters of Orsino, Viola, Sir Andrew, and Sebastian, dressed in multiple, conservative layers, and made of heavy fabrics in muted brown tones.

Collectively, with director Harvey T. Jordan's sound design, White's exotic set, and Norcross' costumes, the crew of "Twelfth Night" produced a pleasing aesthetic.

The actors in lead roles, Brian Peccia as Orsino, Catherine Frye as Viola, and Chalia La Tour as Olivia, all gave quality performances.

Peccia seemed truly at home onstage, gliding through the performance with ease and confidence. Frye, started off a little stiff, at times just reciting her lines, but by the end of the first act she had gained her footing (in the second act delivering one of the funniest scenes of the show, a duel with Sir Andrew). La Tour shined as Olivia, playing her flirty and vain character to a tee, all the while looking as though she was genuinely having fun.

The Polynesian dancers, performing three short routines throughout the play, did their best with a dance form that, I would imagine, takes a great deal of time to master. During the times they were on stage as attendants, though, often just sitting and listening, many of them seemed as if they were sitting through a lecture on how to prepare their taxes.

Continued...

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