BWW Reviews: The Astounding Giles Davies in Jobsite Theater's TWELFTH NIGHT

We in the Bay Area are extremely fortunate that we are here, at this particular time, to witness the energetic genius of Giles Davies. Several years ago, his Puck in freeFall's A Midsummer Night Dream jumped, slithered and crawled all around the stage--the most physical (as well as the most thrilling) Puck that I have ever seen. His brilliant turn as the menacing Beatty in Jobsite's Fahrenheit 451 a couple of years back was almost too creepy for words. Last fall, in New Stage Theatre's Hamlet, Davies once again stole the show as the gravedigger and proved that the size of a role doesn't matter in expert hands; he was simply spellbinding.

Davies is now gracing the stage of the Shimberg Theater in Jobsite's wonderful new production of Shakespeare's TWELFTH NIGHT, and let me say it now...do not miss this astounding performance. If you still don't understand the treasure that we have with Mr. Davies, then it's time to find out. You need to hurry and get your tickets now, because in TWELFTH NIGHT, Giles Davies gives his all as Malvolio and creates one of the area's most memorable star turns of recent years. This is an eye-popping, slam dunk of a performance, and the Friday night audience was enthralled and in hysterics, giddy at the joy of this performer and the other fine actors who adorned the stage with him.

Any time TWELFTH NIGHT is performed anywhere is a treat, and this production is a particularly tasty one.

In Daniel Burt's The Drama 100: A Ranking of the Greatest Plays of All Time, TWELFTH NIGHT is placed in the top ten plays in all of history (resting at #10), only bested by the key Shakespeare tragedies (King Lear, Hamlet, MacBeth and Othello), Sophocles, and even Beckett's Waiting for Godot. Although it's considered a comedy, it is so much more. It's a hilarious sermon on deceit, on what is real versus what isn't, and, of course, on that thing called love in all of its folly and splendor. It has so many different levels and is a perfect starting point in your bard adventures if you've never had the pleasure of seeing a Shakespeare play.

The production at Jobsite Theater is first rate. Aside from the untouchable Davies, you have several of our area's best performers at the top of their game. Ned Averill-Snell is a brilliant Sir Toby Belch, full of gusto and that love of life. And oh what a voice that booms and tingles the ear! It's a performance that, along with Davies' Malvolio, is for the ages. And Ami Sallee is a sheer hoot as the scheming Mariah. Add to that the rubber face of Jamie Jones as Sir Toby's friend, Sir Andrew Aguecheek. He's very funny in a Jim Carrey meets Ed Grimly kind of way, and his Aguecheek sounds like a brain damaged Campbell Scott. As funny as Jones is in the part, a little of him goes a long way; by Act 2, we get a little too used to his over-the-top performance.

Also at the top of their craft, Roxanne Fay plays Feste who, like Dostoyevsky's "The Idiot" and the Beatles "The Fool on the Hill," seems a mere fool but happens to be smarter than everyone else onstage. A proto-hipster with tinted John Lennon-like glasses, Fay's fool is a radiating presence. Her singing voice is mesmerizing (with the songs very cleverly done, sometimes even haunting), and she becomes the heart and soul of the play.

As Duke Orsino, Chris Holcom beautifully commands the stage, and Katrina Stevenson, as Olivia, is positively striking. As Viola (also in disguise as Cesario), Maggie Mularz does a fine job; however, with all the strong performances around her, she oddly seems like a supporting character and not the crucial central role whose main conflict we should experience.

Nick Hoop is exceptionally likable as Sebastian (and he matches up physically with Mularz). The scene where in his euphoria he seems to be walking on air is infectious, and the audience as well seems to walk on air with him. He's a sheer joy to watch onstage. As the sea captain, Antonio, Michael C. McGreevy does a decent job, but we never get a sense of his being deep in love with Sebastian, which is a key to his character but seems to be missing here.

Jason Vaughn Evans, Edward Gomez, and Spencer Meyers all turn in quality performances. The entire production has been deftly directed by David Jenkins, who masterfully stages the proceedings and keeps the humor on high. His sound design is also inspired.

Bailee Booser's costumes fit the time period to a tee, and Malvolio's crazily jaundiced Act 2 wardrobe still has me chuckling.

As brilliant as much of it is, there are some quibbles, such as some serious pacing issues. TWELFTH NIGHT is a long show, nearly three hours and, yes, much of it flies by like a breeze; however, in some moments, such as the scene between Viola and Olivia in Act 1, it seems almost intermidable.

The show is set in 1920's Ybor City, and although that seems like a good idea for locals, the change really doesn't pan out as anything special. It seems superfluous at best (and seems to be nothing more than an excuse to play some great period music throughout). It could be set anywhere, even on Venus, with a cast like this one (though the Ybor-like streetlamps add a nice touch to Brian M. Smallheer's set).

In the end, though, the show comes down to Davies' off the charts performance. He's just from another dimension. His Malvolio starts off as a straight-back puritanical stick in the mud, but when he lets go during a monologue near the end of Act 1, it's so expertly done that it brought Shakespeare's words to an entirely new level. The audience was ready to give the actor a standing ovation then and there. And in Act 2, Davies' scenes where he dons outrageous yellow stockings and cross garters are some of the funniest bits I have ever seen. Each word tripping off the tongue, each bizarre River Dance-like movement of his legs, should not be missed.

After his stint in the recent Hamlet as the gravedigger, I made the suggestion that maybe they should re-name the show Grave Digger! Strong as the entire TWELFTH NIGHT cast is, I think no audience member would complain if we could change the title of this production to Malvolio! Giles Davies is that good. And the show itself, which runs thru February 1st, needs to quickly be added to the top of your calendar of things to do in the Bay Area.

For tickets, please call (813) 229-STAR.

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