NY Review: 'Twelfth Night: Wall Street'

Wall Street’s epic fall from grace would seem to have all the elements of a great Shakespearean drama: flawed heroes, devastating hubris, good and evil, and a sorry (if unsatisfying) end. But of all the plays at her disposal, it’s hard to imagine what inspired Casey Cleverly to pick “Twelfth Night” as ripe for a Wall Street treatment. Her adaptation is a cautionary tale for those attempting to put Shakespeare in a modern setting, diminishing both the original work and its reconception in one go.

Instead of being shipwrecked on the coast of Illyria, Viola (Dana Hunter) finds herself on the shores of “Manhatta,” where, disguising herself as a man, she joins the service of Orsino (Jenn Remke, in drag). Orsino, who according to the program notes is “head of Orsino and Partners,” is seemingly in love with money: He delivers the famous line “If music be the food of love, play on” to the clangs of the stock exchange sounding bell. But if Orsino is cast as a covetous executive, what about his love for Olivia (Haleigh Ciel), re-imagined as a fashion heiress? To believe Orsino’s greed (blandly indicated by repeated glances at his portfolio) is to doubt his love, the force that sets the play’s antics in motion. It’s a trap of Cleverly’s own devising.

Nearly all the contemporary references are shallow: winking indications to a time and place with no impact on story or character. Particularly clunky is the morphing of Olivia’s uncle Sir Toby (Michael Rehse) and suitor Andrew Aguecheek (Aden Eastwood) into Occupy Wall Street protesters. Why two of Shakespeare’s most laughable buffoons would join the movement, supported as they are by Olivia’s hospitality, is puzzling. Perhaps Cleverly didn’t have an answer either, which is why the only indication of their participation in the protests is a few cardboard signs that they hold disinterestedly while going about their business.

With modern connections this tenuous, production design is usually the crux on which the entire conceit hangs. But the small playing space dictates a virtually nonexistent set, while Lizzy Elkins’ costumes are either ridiculously over-the-top (Olivia’s Lady Gaga–esque getups) or confusing (Maria’s leather bustier is more pirate wench than personal assistant). It’s a situation that only underscores the mismatch between the source material and its interpretation. All this makes one wonder: Why Wall Street in the first place? The only clue comes in the final scene, which Cleverly has altered significantly to highlight the role of women and their typical exclusion from the upper echelons of finance.

Viola is one of Shakespeare’s strongest heroines, and Hunter (along with Charles Hinshaw, as Malvolio) is one of the bright spots of the production. But the one-note performances of both Remke and Ciel—consistently bumbling and shrill, respectively—make women into caricatures, undermining the strength of sisterhood that serves as the only moral to this misguided enterprise.

Presented by Co-Op Theatre East as part of the Planet Connections Theater Festivity at Culture Project, 45 Bleecker St., NYC. June 1–18. Remaining performances: Mon., June 4, 7 p.m.; Sat., June 9, 2 p.m.; Tue., June 12, 9 p.m.; Sat., June 16, 11:30 a.m.; Mon., June 18, 9:30 p.m. (212) 352-3101, (866) 811-4111, or www.theatermania.com.