Twelfth Night – 22 August 2025

I associate free Shakespeare in the Park at the Delacorte with wildly imaginative interpretations of Shakespeare that are anachronistic, accessible, and delightfully fun. Twelfth Night (2025) is no exception. In recent years, it has also been a place of star studded casting, and in this regard, Twelfth Night has really out done itself. Despite all of these actors having big, well-known household names, the casting of the show was the biggest surprise of the night, because the actors are cast in roles that push the boundaries of what the audience already knows they are capable of doing. Sandra Oh brought a lot of nuance and depth to Olivia, which surprised me because I think of her more as a Viola – tough and serious like in her film and TV roles. Jesse Tyler Ferguson has always been funny, so I expected him to be Malvolio because he is usually the part of the joke. His Andrew leaned into that skillset to make a usually forgotten character very likable. As for Peter Dinklage’s Malvolio? He brought the house down with his biting wit and sincere commitment to the absurdity of the story. Of all of the performances in the show, his was the most exciting and had the most depth. He almost felt like a lead, even though his character journey is very much a side plot.

I loved being serenaded by Moses Sumney’s beautiful voice, but I was puzzled by some of the lyrics being from As You Like It, particularly the opening of “all the world’s a stage” when “if music be the food of love, play on” would have worked just as well and actually been in Twelfth Night. By nature, this production was a creative pairing down of a larger text – I don’t understand the decision to add this text from another show. It didn’t add anything relevant. The directional choice to use Swahili, on the other hand, really moved me. It’s served a dual purpose – twin telepathy for the reconciliation and making the Shakespearen English seem easier to understand by contrast. I also very much enjoyed Feste/the fool (Moses Sumney) playing the electric guitar as him being ahead of his time – it was a well considered nod to the fool usually being the smartest of Shakespeare’s characters. I wasn’t crazy about Duke Orsino (Khris Davis)’s pumping iron opening, though I did enjoy the toxic masculinity jokes. The hot tub scene stood out as one of my favorites, as did the scene with the tree — John Ellison Conlee’s Sir Toby Belch and Daphne Rubin-Vega’s Maria were a diabolical dynamic duo – add Jesse Tyler Ferguson’s Andrew Aguecheek and the laughter flows freely. I absolutely loved b as a casting choice for Antonio and really felt the anguish and pain in that character as if thinking about them for the first time.

Bradley King’s beautiful lighting design helped ease the disappointment I felt at Maruti Evans’s bare bones set. Though the floor design is beautiful, most of the scenic design is more minimalist and functional than artistic – I expect more from the Public, even in the park. Oana Botez’s costumes are truly beautiful, and sound design (Kai Harada, Palmer Hefferan) was great, though there were times on the amount of reverb made Moses Sumney unintelligible.

Thematically, this version of Twelfth Night chose to highlight the dangers of an excessive of fun. The scene where Malvolio (Peter Dinklage) is imprisoned, and tortured with pyrotechnics is pretty frightening. The characters who end up with a happy ever after, namely, the two married couples, are those who are humble, like Viola (Lupita Nyong’o) and Sebastian (Junior Nyong’o) and committed like Olivia (Sandra Oh) and Orsino (Khris Davis). Those who go too far and feel entitled to things, like Andrew Aguecheek (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) and Sir Toby Belch (John Ellison Conlee) are sent packing. Those who have beenwronged, like Antonio (b) and Malvolio (Peter Dinklage) disappear often into the shadows with what’s left of their dignity. The final song, “hey, ho, the wind and rain” exists in the world of its own in which excess can exist for excess’s sake. It shows an idea in which all of the characters can be equal, regardless of parentage, gender, or ability. This version one ups the typical Shakespearen double wedding, and leaves the audience laughing and smiling as we go.

Twelfth Night is a fun welcome back for the Public Theater’s summer Shakespeare in the Park at the Delacorte. This creative storytelling is easy to follow and full of laughter. It offers something for everyone: music, crew, humor, romance, adventure, and a truly unforgettable night of revelry.

I attended this performance on a press pass from The Public Theater Press Team.