A WORLDPRIDE CELEBRATION OF QUEER IDENTITY,
DISCO, AND SHAKESPEAREAN DELIGHT
Folger Theatre’s 2025 production of Twelfth Night, directed by Mei Ann Teo, is a visually sumptuous, sonically electric, and emotionally resonant reimagining of Shakespeare’s beloved comedy. Framed through the lens of WorldPride and running through June 22, this staging boldly transforms the shipwrecked romances and mistaken identities of Illyria into a glittering, disco-drenched celebration of transformation, self-discovery, and queer exuberance.
Nicholas Yenson as Malvolio, Lilli Hokama as Viola/Cesario, and Futaba as Feste
Alyssa Keegan as Orsino and Lilli Hokama as Viola/Cesario
From the moment the lights go down, it’s clear that this production is both ensemble-forward and theatrically adventurous. The opening shipwreck scene is not staged with traditional effects, but through a hauntingly beautiful human tableau: the full cast becomes a churning sea, using rhythmic movement and vocalization to evoke the chaos of the storm. Viola, as survivor and center of gravity, emerges from this human tempest, her dialogue with the captain unfolding in a landscape shaped by breath, body, and light. It’s an arresting image—Viola reborn through communal motion—that lays the foundation for the play’s exploration of identity and resilience in the face of loss.
Shubhangi Kuchibhotla as Maria, Alyssa Keegan as Orsino, Alina Collins Maldonado as Olivia,
El Beh as Sebastian, Hunter Ringsmith as Sir Andrew Aguecheek
The visual and sonic design of the production heightens that sense of reimagination. Olivera Gajic’s costumes are a riot of texture and gender play—fishnets and sequins clash delightfully with codpieces and flowing silks, suggesting a world untethered from binary constraints. There’s a mythic quality to the designs, but also an irreverent joy: think Studio 54 meets A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Lighting by Minjoo Kim is equally dynamic—strobe lights burst into life during scenes of revelry, while more intimate moments are bathed in pools of soft moonlight. The lighting pulses in harmony with Be Steadwell’s thrilling musical score, which fuses synth-pop, house, and shimmering ballads into a soundscape that gives Illyria the energy of a queer nightclub in full bloom.
Che Kabia as Sir Toby Belch, Futaba as Feste, and Hunter Ringsmith as Sir Andrew Aguecheek
El Beh as Sebastian, Che Kabia as Sir Toby Belch, Hunter Ringsmith as Sir Andrew Aguecheek
Much like the design, the performances are at their best when they embrace the production’s larger-than-life heart. Not every role reaches the same emotional or comedic clarity, but several key performances ground the production with nuance and depth. Lilli Hokama delivers a luminous Viola, her performance deftly balancing comic timing with emotional truth. She carries the weight of the play’s central question—who are we when we are unmoored from identity?—with both vulnerability and strength. Her chemistry with Alyssa Keegan’s stylish, gender-fluid Orsino is magnetic, and their scenes together hum with suppressed longing and layered discovery.
Che Kabia as Sir Toby Belch and Hunter Ringsmith as Sir Andrew Aguecheek
Perhaps the most memorable performance of the evening belongs to Nicholas Yenson as Malvolio. Often played for broad comedy, Malvolio here becomes a far more complex figure—simultaneously absurd and sympathetic. Yenson brings a surprising emotional gravity to the character’s journey from puritanical stiffness to disco-lit humiliation. His scene in the infamous yellow stockings—here reimagined with a dazzling, glitter-smeared camp sensibility—manages to be funny, heartbreaking, and chilling all at once. Todd Scofield’s Antonio also deserves praise for a subtly moving performance, anchoring the production’s emotional undercurrents in something real and deeply felt.
Lilli Hokama as Viola/Cesario and Alyssa Keegan as Orsino
Teo’s vision is unapologetically bold, and the production succeeds not just because of its aesthetic flair but because of its thematic clarity. Twelfth Night has always been a play about masks, misdirection, and yearning—this version simply leans into those elements through a queer lens that feels both contemporary and deeply authentic. The choreography, music, and design don’t merely decorate the text; they illuminate it, turning Illyria into a liminal space of possibility where love and identity are fluid, and celebration becomes resistance.
Todd Scoffield as Antonio and El Beh as Sebastian
Nicholas Yenson as Malvolio
Presenting this production during WorldPride is more than timely—it’s transformative. It reframes Shakespeare’s comedy as a site of queer resilience and creative freedom, reminding us that joy can be radical and that identity can be both performed and true. This Twelfth Night isn’t just relevant; it’s revelatory.
For those who want their Shakespeare bold, beautiful, and entirely alive, Folger Theatre offers a Twelfth Night that’s not to be missed. With its fusion of glitter and gravitas, disco and desire, it is a party with a soul. Play on!
El Beh as Sebastian, Che Kabia as Sir Toby Belchphotos by Erika Nizborski
Twelfth Night
Folger Shakespeare Library, 201 East Capitol Street, SE
2 hours 15 with intermission
ends on June 22, 2025
for tickets, visit Folger
for more shows, visit Theatre in DC
Alina Collins Maldonado as Olivia, Lilli Hokama as Viola/Cesario, and Alyssa Keegan as Orsino
