Folger Theatre’s ‘Twelfth Night’ Kinks Shakespeare with a Lush, Gender-Bending Reimagining
Under the daring direction of Mei Ann Teo, Twelfth Night has returned to the Folger Theatre with a bold, wild makeover. Running through June 22, this new production of Shakespeare’s classic is a feast of gender fluidity, pop culture flair, and heartfelt poignancy, unfolding within a visually arresting brutalist set.
The play, in brief: Twins Sebastian and Viola survive a shipwreck, but neither knows that the other is alive. Viola disguises herself as a young man (Cesario) and goes into service with Count Orsino of Illyria. Orsino sends Cesario to woo the Lady Olivia on his behalf, but Olivia falls in love with Cesario. Which is ironic, because Viola has actually fallen in love with Orsino. At the same time, Sebastian, rescued by a sea captain, finds his way to Illyria, and much mayhem ensues due to identity mixups. When Sebastian and Viola appear together, the puzzles around the mistaken identities are solved!
Folgers’ Twelfth Night is set in a dystopian Illyria—imagined as a stark concrete world where love dares to bloom. Teo’s vision boldly plays with Shakespeare’s themes of mistaken identity, romantic entanglements, and emotional resilience through a contemporary lens. Drawing inspiration from icons like Prince, Grace Jones, and Harry Styles, the show’s fashion and music underscore its message: love, in all its forms, defies easy categorization.
At the center of the swirling drama is Viola/Cesario, brought to life with electric presence by Lilli Hokama, whose performance balances vulnerability and cunning. As Olivia, Alina Collins Maldonado commands attention with charm and strength, while Alyssa Keegan’s Orsino—a brilliant gender-defying casting —offers a fresh and compelling take on the brooding nobleman. Together, this trio navigates the play’s ever-shifting romantic currents with a sincerity that anchors the production.
Supporting performances bring additional texture and comedy: Nicholas Yenson delivers a fierce turn as Malvolio, channeling both absurdity and quiet heartbreak. Che Kabia’s Sir Toby Belch and Hunter Ringsmith’s Sir Andrew Aguecheek provide much of the comedy and whimsy, while El Beh (Sebastian) bridges the play’s comic and romantic threads. As the musical Feste, Futaba charms with otherworldly presence and vocals, buoyed by an original pop-soul score from Be Steadwell.
Visually, the production intrigues. Scenic designer David I. Reynoso’s concrete-and-greenery juxtaposition offers a clever metaphor for love’s resilience in harsh terrain. Costume designer Olivera Gajic leans fully into glam rock with a wardrobe that is edgy, expressive, and defiant of traditional binaries. Lighting by Minjoo Kim and projections by Hao Bai enhance the dreamlike quality of the staging, while Erika Johnson’s live percussion adds a visceral rhythm to both comedic and romantic beats.
Director Teo’s approach is rooted in the original staging practices of Shakespeare’s time—when men played women—but also in very present-day expressions of queerness and identity. The result is a production that doesn’t just modernize Twelfth Night, but claims it as a space for exploration.
Twelfth Night continues through June 22, 2025, at the Folger Shakespeare Library on Capitol Hill. Tickets start at $20 and are available at www.folger.edu/12thnight. Accessible performances and talkbacks are offered throughout the run.
