Theatre: Twelfth Night at the Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival (June 2018)
Twelfth Night, or What
You Will, is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around
1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night's entertainment for the close of the Christmas
season. (Subtitles for plays were fashionable in the Elizabethan era, and
though some editors place The Merchant of Venice's alternative title, The
Jew of Venice, as a subtitle, this is the only Shakespearean play to bear
one when first published.) "Twelfth Night" is a reference to the
twelfth night after Christmas Day, called the Eve of the Feast of Epiphany. It
was originally a Catholic holiday, and therefore, like other Christian feast
days, an occasion for revelry. Servants often dressed up as their masters, men
as women, and so forth. This history of festive ritual and Carnivalesque
reversal, based on the ancient Roman festival of Saturnalia at the same time of
year (characterized by drunken revelry and inversion of the social order), is
the cultural origin of the play's gender confusion-driven plot. The play expanded
on the musical interludes and riotous disorder expected of the occasion. Although
the play was first performed in 1602, was not published until its inclusion in
the 1623 First Folio.
The play centers on twins Viola and Sebastian, who are separated in a
shipwreck. Viola (who is disguised as Cesario) falls in love with Duke Orsino,
who in turn is in love with the Countess Olivia. Upon meeting Viola, Countess
Olivia falls in love with her, thinking she is a man.
Viola is shipwrecked on the coast of Illyria, and she comes ashore with the
help of a captain. She has lost contact with her twin brother, Sebastian, who
she believes to have drowned. With the aid of the captain, she disguises
herself as a young man named Cesario, and enters the service of Duke Orsino.
Duke Orsino is in love with the Countess Olivia, who is mourning the recent
deaths of her father and brother. She refuses to see entertainment, be in the
company of men, or accept love or marriage proposals from anyone (the Duke
included) until seven years have passed. Duke Orsino uses Cesario as an
intermediary to profess his passionate love for Olivia. Olivia, however, falls
in love with Cesario. In the meantime, Viola has fallen in love with the Duke
Orsino, creating a love triangle among Duke Orsino, Olivia, and Viola: Viola
loves Duke Orsino, Duke Orsino loves Olivia, and Olivia loves Viola disguised
as Cesario.
In the comic subplot, several characters conspire to make Olivia's pompous
steward, Malvolio, believe that Olivia has fallen for him. This involves
Olivia's riotous uncle (Sir Toby Belch), another would-be suitor (a silly
squire named Sir Andrew Aguecheek), her servants (Maria and Fabian); and her
melancholy fool (Feste). Sir Toby and Sir Andrew engage themselves in drinking
and revelry, thus disturbing the peace of Olivia's household until late into
the night, prompting Malvolio to chastise them.
Sir Toby, Sir Andrew, and Maria plan revenge on Malvolio. They convince
Malvolio that Olivia is secretly in love with him by planting a love letter,
written by Maria in Olivia's handwriting. It asks Malvolio to wear yellow
stockings cross-gartered and to smile constantly in the presence of Olivia.
Malvolio finds the letter and reacts in surprised delight. He starts acting out
the contents of the letter to show Olivia his positive response. Olivia is
shocked by the changes in Malvolio, and agreeing that he seems mad, leaves him
to be cared for by his tormentors. Pretending that Malvolio is insane, they
lock him up in a dark chamber. Feste visits him to mock his insanity, both
disguised as a priest and as himself.
Meanwhile, Viola's twin Sebastian has been rescued by Antonio, a sea
captain who previously fought against Duke Orsino, yet who accompanies
Sebastian to Illyria, despite the danger, because of his affection for
Sebastian. Sebastian's appearance adds the confusion of mistaken identities to
the comedy. Taking Sebastian for Cesario, Olivia asks him to marry her, and
they are secretly wed in a church. Finally, when Cesario and Sebastian appear in
the presence of both Olivia and Orsino, there is more wonder and confusion at
their physical similarity. At this point, Viola reveals her identity and is
reunited with her twin brother.
The play ends in a declaration of marriage between Duke Orsino and Viola,
and it is learned that Sir Toby has married Maria. Malvolio swears revenge on
his tormentors and stalks off, but Orsino sends Fabian to placate him.
Baltimore (June 2018)
My spouse and I visited Baltimore
for the weekend in early June 2018. Although my spouse visits the city
frequently for business, we have not visited together for leisure in over 20
years. How things have changed, and for the better! Years ago, when we stayed
in Fell’s Point, it was just becoming gentrified; most people we knew thought
“Baltimore” meant “Inner Harbor” and nothing else. Now, the whole waterfront is
becoming developed, and so we based ourselves in the Harbor East area, located
between Fell’s Point and the Inner Harbor. We ate some great meals, finally
dining at Woodberry Kitchen (which we have read about for years); we also dined
at Roy’s Pacific Rim Fusion (which we have also heard about for years), the
Lebanese Taverna, and Tagliata. We visited the Baltimore Museum of Art, which
has a great European collection, and we attended a baseball game to see the
Orioles play the Yankees at Camden Yard. We enjoyed our weekend in Baltimore;
we’ll try not to let another 20 years pass before we return!
Hotel:
Homewood Suites by Hilton Link to my review
Restaurants:
- Roy's Link to my review
- Woodberry Kitchen Link to my review
- Lebanese Taverna Link to my review
- Tagliata Link to my review
Activities:
- Civil War Museum Link to my review
- Baltimore Museum of Art Link to my review
- Orioles vs. Yankees game at Camden Yards Link to my review
Baltimore: Homewood Suites by Hilton (June 2018)
My spouse and I stayed at the Homewood Suites by Hilton
Baltimore for two nights on a weekend in early June 2018. We reserved our stay
online using the Hilton HHonors website, and we remitted Hilton points for a
complimentary stay.
The Homewood Suites Baltimore is located in the Harbor East
neighborhood, positioned between Fell’s Point and the Inner Harbor and just a
few blocks from the water. The hotel is an easy walk to the Aquarium and the
USS Constellation, with the Baltimore Convention Center, Camden Yards (for the
Orioles), M+T Bank Stadium (for the Ravens), and Fort McHenry just a bit
farther (but still walkable). Little Italy and many restaurants are located
within steps of the hotel, as is a Whole Foods grocery store, a 24-hour CVS
pharmacy, and the Landmark movie theatre. (We dined nearby at Roy’s Hawaiian
Fusion, the Lebanese Taverna, and Tagliata, but the James Joyce Tavern,
Oceanaire Seafood Room, Fleming Steakhouse, and Azumi are also within a block.)
The Homewood Suites adjoins and shares the lobby with the neighboring
Hilton Garden Inn. The daily breakfast area is located on the second floor
(open 6:00 am to 10:00 am and 7:00 am to 11:00 am on weekends); the hotel hosts
an evening social there on weeknights from 5:00 pm until 7:00 pm. In addition,
the Great American Grill (also called the Garden Grill and Bar) is a
full-service dining option that offers dinner from 5:00 pm until 10:00 pm daily
(with closing hours extended on weekends until 11:00 pm) and evening room
service. A large Starbucks is accessible from the lobby area. The Maryland
Athletic Club offers fitness club access on weekdays from approximately 5:00 am
until 11:00 pm and on weekends from 7:00 am until 7:00 pm. A business center,
pantry shop, and coin-operated laundry are onsite, and complimentary grocery
shopping is offered. Both valet and self-parking are available, with access to
the garage from Fleet Street. (Valet costs $35 per night versus $22 for
self-park.)
The hotel offers 165 units, including both studios and
one-bedrooms. Accommodations offer a full kitchen (with refrigerator/freezer,
two-burner stove [but no oven], dishwasher, microwave, toaster, coffee maker,
and utensils) with a two-stool breakfast bar that separates it from the living
area (with a sleeper sofa, lounge chair, ottoman/coffee table, desk with
rolling chair, telephone, and flat-screen TV). The bedroom contains either a king-size
bed or two doubles, and offers a second flat-screen TV, second telephone, nightstands,
clock, dresser, and large closet with mirrored doors (and an iron and ironing
board). In our corner king suite (room 667), we enjoyed windows in both the
living area and the bedroom. The single sink vanity was actually part of the
bedroom, and the large separate bathroom contained a combination bathtub/shower
unit and toilet. Our corner room also featured a long diagonal hall that lead
from the public hallway to our kitchen area. Although the unit was cozier than
other 1-bedroom suites we have stayed in at other hotels, it was still nice to
have a multi-room layout.
We enjoyed our stay at the Homewood Suites; we liked the
location and the extra space.
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