Throwing the dice to determine who played each role was the least off-beat thing about this enchantingly funny production.
I have to confess, unlike many people I know, that I love updated productions of the classics, but only if the social dynamics and plot fit with the concept. Dacha Theatre’s production of Dice Keeper-12th Night, more than managed to do this, while presenting one of the most creative, spontaneous and enjoyable shows I have EVER seen. It was truly beguiling and by chance had a certain historical authenticity to the casting. i.e. There really was a male actor playing a female character, who has to pretend to be a man in the script.
Directed by Mike Lion, this production of Shakespeare’s comedy 12th Night, was part of the Dice Series that is to say “a small ensemble of actors (who) memorizes the entire script of a Shakespeare show and the roles are randomized at the start of each performance.”
However, this production added the “Dice-Keeper,” an onstage director, Mike Lion who “changes the directorial concept for each performance with no warning to the cast, and gives notes and directions during the performance,” creating an atmosphere very closely resembling a game show with a huge amount of very lively audience participation. Frankly, I have not laughed so much in a long time, neither, I suspect had the other members of the audience.
The night I saw 12th Night the Dice-Keeper, Director Mike Lion, was witty while his interactions with the cast as the quintessential aggravating director with no discernible filters, kept everything moving swiftly. The concept for that evening was that Illyria, where the action takes place in the original play, was changed to be was an Italian restaurant (probably Michelin starred) with Duke Orsino at the helm and Olivia as his assistant.
One of the best scenes was when the kitchen came alive on a busy night, while the whole cast played harried waiters, bus-boys, chefs, etc. I could not tell whether it had been choreographed beforehand but it was completely realistic, well-timed and balletic in its execution. It was a tribute to the whole cast, the props master and the director.
Another tribute to the director, Mike Lion, and crew was how they managed to create such a fabulous production on a low budget using imagination and everyday objects like cardboard boxes as props. At times, just the placement of certain props, brought the house down in uproarious laughter.
There was an inevitable weakness in this production; most of the cast was not all that comfortable with the language. Their diction and ability to project was not the best, except for Ella Ruth Francis who played Maria, who spoke clearly and navigated the intricacies of the text well. Also Act II was not as lively as Act I, a few judicious cuts might have helped this production.
Having said that, I would heartily recommend this production to anyone. It was one of the high-points of my 13 year reign as a reviewer of “in the Hood” that is to say, small eccentric theatre.
Dice Keeper-12th Night, is staged in a warehouse in Georgetown, not Capitol Hill, since warehouse space in Capitol Hill has been turned into Leggoland town houses. But there ARE parking spaces. An added bonus, since there are also a lot of artist’s studios in the warehouse, is a lot of art in the lobby.
Due to previous COVID cancellations, there will only be seven more performances closing on April 22, unless it gets extended. (not a bad idea-but just my opinion.)
Dice-Keeper-12th Night. Dacha Theatre,at Base: Experimental Arts +Space. 6520-5th Ave S. #122, Seattle, WA 98108 (Georgetown)
All Tickets: Pay what you can