May 7 is your chance for an afternoon at a world–class British performance without paying for airfare or going through the pesky TSA security checkpoints.
The Mercyhurst Institute for Arts and Culture (MIAC) is bringing you another National Theatre Live performance right here at the Mary D’Angelo Performing Arts Center.
Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” will be broadcasted live from The Royal National Theatre in the lovely Oliver Theatre.
The performance will start promptly at 12:55 p.m. and have an estimated run time of three hours, which includes a 20-minute intermission.
The show is recommended for ages 12 and up.
“Twelfth Night” is a comedy by William Shakespeare that was written around 1601.
The play was set in Illyria, which was the region of the Western Balkans.
Illyria has been a setting of many of Shakespeare’s plays.
The play has themes of mistaken identity, gender and metatheatre.
It takes you back to a time where most of the travel was done by ship.
Occasionally those ships sank, and this is where the performance picks up.
Viola, the main character, is involved in a shipwreck and makes it ashore only with the help of a captain.
She believes that her twin brother drowned in the wreck along with others on the ship.
To survive, Viola becomes Cesario, a young man who starts to work for Duke Orsino.
The Duke sends Cesario with a message of love to a lady named Olivia.
Olivia has refused to love anyone for seven years after the death of her father and brother, but the Duke keeps trying.
As Cesario is talking, Olivia starts to fall in love with him, all without knowing that Cesario is actually a woman.
This creates a love triangle as Viola, dressed as Cesario, actually falls in love with the Duke.
Attend the performance to find out what happens. Simon Godwin will direct the production with a number of world class actors and supporting talent.
Tamsin Greig is playing the steward for Olivia’s household. Phoebe Fox was cast as Olivia, Viola is played by Tamara Lawrance, Oliver Chris is cast as Duke Orsino and many other great cast members are featured.
Mary Doherty, Andrew Macbean and Imogen Slaughter make up the ensemble.
The whole cast is famous in their own right.
An afternoon at the theatre will be a steal to attend.
The performance at the Oliver Theatre will run about $45 to $80, but if you attend at the Mary D’Angelo,  adults pay $18, senior and students pay $15 and youth tickets are $10.
As always with MIAC events, Mercyhurst students get tickets for free.