Cornell University’s production of Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” will pair the play with 1920s jazz music for five performances in Ithaca beginning Friday, Oct. 23. Tickets are free.
Professor David Feldshuh adapted and directed the production, which will be staged at the Kiplinger Theatre in Cornell’s Schwartz Center, according to a Cornell Chronicle announcement. The Schwartz Center is at 430 College Ave.
The cast of 22 includes 14 actors, a singing chorus and dancers. Professional jazz musician Mike Carbone will perform onstage on saxophone and flute.
Feldshuh’s staging begins with the play’s shipwreck and arrival in Illyria, a setting he recasts as a dreamscape inspired by surrealist painter René Magritte. He described a world in which identities shift and love takes unpredictable turns.
Feldshuh said the production mixes comedy with darker tensions. “Practical jokes become cruel and humiliation becomes a weapon,” he said. Cornell students are collaborating with professional theater artists on the show.
Evening performances are set for 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Oct. 23-24, and Friday, Oct. 30. On Saturday, Oct. 31, the show will run at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Free tickets can be reserved through the Cornell Performing and Media Arts ticket page.
FingerLakes1.com is the region’s leading all-digital news publication. The company was founded in 1998 and has been keeping residents informed for more than two decades. Have a lead? Send it to news@fingerlakes1.com.
