CRANFORD, NJ — “Better a witty fool, than a foolish wit,” “If music be the food of love, play on” and “Some are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them” are just a few of the familiar lines from William Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night.”
One of the Bard of Avon’s finest comedies will be performed at Cranford Dramatic Club Theatre in Cranford for seven shows, from Friday, Feb. 10, to Saturday, Feb. 25. It is directed by Susan Speidel, who currently teaches at the Kean University Theatre Conservatory and is a lecturer for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Rutgers University. She has studied acting and directing at HB Studio in New York City and at Shakespeare’s Globe in London. She served for 20 years as director of education for the Paper Mill Playhouse and has directed more than 50 plays and musicals.
“A woman, disguised as a man, falls in love with her boss, only to be pursued by the woman her boss is determined to marry. Confused?” asked Speidel recently. “You’re not alone, but ‘Twelfth Night,’ Shakespeare’s witty look at gender confusion, invites us to put convention aside, stretch the boundaries of ‘acceptable’ attraction, and that, in the end, love is love is love is love. The play is filled with relatable characters contending with mistaken identities, unrelenting desire, hilarious pranks and unrequited love — not to mention cross-dressing, duels and deception — all offered up with a generous dash of merriment!”
This “Twelfth Night” is set in the free-wheeling, mirror-ball world of the 1970s; the celebratory nature of Shakespeare’s play is heightened with a series of Top 10 hits that enhance the production and move the action forward with a disco beat.
CDC Theatre is celebrating its 104th season at 78 Winans Ave. in Cranford. To purchase tickets and for more information, visit cdctheatre.org.
Photo Courtesy of Maureen Munroe