"Twelfth Night" by Brick by Brick Players at Bumbling Fools Mead

Last night I descended into a hot and labyrinthian basement of a building in Northeast Minneapolis (not far from The Crane Theater) to check out a new-to-me theater company. Despite the heat, I was impressed by Brick by Brick Players' mission ("to create Theatre of Joy in the Traumatized Body"), and their production of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. Similar to Ten Thousand Things, they are bringing this production out into the community, performing at a juvenile detention center and elder care facilities, and they also have an outreach program called "Safely Thus: Hope and Healing through Shakespeare." This production of Twelfth Night is a great example of finding joy after trauma, set in some kind of fallout shelter, characters bloodied and dirty, with lots of references to our recent occupation by armed agents terrorizing our streets. But yet, there is much joy in the finding of love and laughter and community. Unfortunately, seating is limited in the found space inside Bumbling Fools Mead, and their entire two-weekend run is sold out. But this is a company that should be on your radar, follow them on social media for upcoming events, including a production of Every Brilliant Thing this fall, which is very much a play about finding joy after trauma.

The entertainment begins thirty minutes before showtime with the cast performing Appalachian music, specifically the music of the Carter family, in a rousing and joyful way. I'm not sure how this music relates to Twelfth Night, but it definitely relates to the joy-from-trauma theme (there's a nice note in the program from a professor of Appalachian Studies, a consultant on this production, about the significance of the Carter family in music history). We then move into the performance space, which looks like a fallout shelter with graffitied walls and traffic signs, a large old trunk, a tall ladder (which thankfully no one climbs to the top of), and other makeshift survival pieces around the space. Characters are dressed in modern utilitarian clothing, adorned with loons and the Wild logo and other hints at local culture (set and sound design by Jackson Hoemann, costume design by Logan McCarty).

the cast of Twelfth Night (photo courtesy of Brick by Brick)

The play is performed by a cast of eight in about 90 minutes, and directed by Hadley Evans Nash, who has cut out (or condensed) the characters of Sir Andrew and Sir Toby, in a way that makes them not missed. Instead of arriving on the shores of Illyria after a shipwreck, Viola (Katie Booth) and her look-a-like brother Sebastion (Alex Bailey) arrive in the shelter after some sort of traumatic event, and are taken in by the people there. The familiar story then unfolds, with Viola disguising herself as a man (because Shakespeare) and wooing the lady Olivia (Maya Pantanowitz) for her master the duke Orsino (Asher Gettings), whilst actually falling in love with him. Despite her grief at losing father and brother, Olivia in turn falls for the disguised Viola, but is happy to take Sebastion in her place when the truth is revealed. Even the subplot of Olivia's servants bullying the poor Malvolio (Jeff Goodson) brings joy, when they beg his forgiveness and he treats it as a harmless prank.

Twelfth Night is the source of the quote "if music be the food of love, play on," so of course, there is music. Not just before the show, but also during the show, with a couple of scripted songs ("the rain it raineth every day"), with original compositions by Eric Holm, as well as a few other songs, and cast members playing instruments. The cast (which also includes Jo Ruth Roque, Annissa Siobhan, and Maycee Klein) has a lot of fun with the show, while still conveying the drama of the situation and the humanity of the characters. The love stories are particularly sweet. Despite the fact that this is a comedy, I found myself with a few tears behind my eyes at the end, as these characters find joy and community with each other, as we all did gathering together in this hot and sweaty basement to share a story.

Yes, it's hot and a little uncomfortable (I attended on one of the hottest days of the summer, it's sure to be better for the remaining performances), but I soon forgot about it as I became immersed in the world of the show, and charmed by the story. And I got to try mead for the first time, which is delicious and tastes like a dry white wine. But Bumbling Fools Mead sells multiple variations of the ancient drink, which you can purchase before or after the show. It's an unconventional space for theater, with Shakespeare interpreted by a scrappy new theater company doing some great work.