THE RAIN IT RAINETH

A downpour doesn’t stop the cast from shining

Kirsten Peacock and Tamara Hickey

Heavy rains forced the July 18 performance of Twelfth Night indoors, but the cast and crew more than rose to the occasion. The change in venue meant that Shakespeare & Company‘s production, directed by Kate Kohler Amory with wit and verve, had little in the way of forested scenery, but Govane Lohbauer‘s vibrant costumes and Kirsten Peacock‘s delightful choreography filled the otherwise nearly bare stage with color and energy.

Nick Nudler

Amory sets Shakespeare’s comedy in “a magical, Celtic-inspired landscape driven by Celtic music.” Colorful plaids and whirling dances are accompanied by the Celtic drum and guitar of a winning Nick Nudler as Feste, the Fool who mocks the self-absorbed principals while drawing the audience into the action by inviting participation in song.

Nick Nudler, J. Austyn Williamson, and “ranney”

Feste is joined by a hilarious J. Austyn Williamson as Andrew Aguecheek and a less-than-charming Sir Toby Belch, played by “ranney” with a bleakness that suggests troubled addiction rather than carefree abandon. Belch’s obnoxious drunkenness earns some sympathy for the waspish Malvolio (Allyn Burrows), the loyal servant who reprimands the revelers on behalf of his employer, Olivia (an elegant Tamara Hickey). Who wouldn’t complain about carousers disturbing the peace in the wee hours?  But for those of us who aren’t trying to sleep, and have come to be entertained, the three miscreants are extremely funny and poor Malvolio simply a crank.

Allyn Burrows and Kirsten Peacock

Kirsten Peacock is charming as Viola, who disguises herself as the young man Cesario, and inadvertently becomes the object of Olivia’s love while attempting to win her favor for Cesario’s employer, the Count Orsino (Omar Robinson).

David Bertoldi, Tamara Hickey, Kirsten Peacock, and Omar Robinson

Olivia, Orsino, and Malvolio are all blinded by their self-absorption. The inevitable complications begin to unravel with the arrival of Viola’s brother Sebastian (David Bertoldi), presumed drowned in the same shipwreck that washed Viola ashore, forces the reckoning that sets things right and provides Olivia and Orsino with the romantic partner that each needed.

The Cast

Only the humiliated Malvolio is left vowing revenge, reminding us that Shakespeare’s comedies often leave at least one wounded soul behind. Feste’s closing song, with its recurring refrain, “the rain it raineth every day,” resonates beyond the evening’s weather. It gently reminds us that life is never unalloyed joy and that ignoring another’s pain may eventually return to haunt those who imagine themselves immune to misfortune. Even after the rain forced this performance indoors, Shakespeare & Company delivered a Twelfth Night that proved both spirited and thoughtful.

Allyn Burrows

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photos by Nile Scott Studios

Twelfth Night: or What You Will
Shakespeare & Company
Shakespeare & Company in Lenox, MA
Approximately 2 hours and 25 minutes with intermission
ends on July 26, 2026
for tickets, visit Shakespeare & Company

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BIO: Lynne Weiss is a member of the Boston Theater Critics Association. Her reviews, travel tales, and progressively optimistic opinions are on her substack.