Southeast Missouri State University students present Shakespeare's 'Twelfth Night' at Bedell Performance Hall

With Christmas just around the corner, the Southeast Missouri State University River Campus will be holding a performance of "Twelfth Night, or What You Will," the classic comedy by William Shakespeare.

The play's title refers to the Twelfth Night holiday of the Christmas season, or the Catholic holiday the Feast of the Epiphany. Traditionally on this day, servants would dress up as their masters, men as women and so on.

Shakespeare adapted his version from a story called "What You Will," which was written by Barnebe Rich around the year 1601.

The play is set in Illyria, which in modern terms would be in the western part of the Balkans.

Like most of Shakespeare's comedies, this one focuses on a case of mistaken identity.

Viola, the lead character, is shipwrecked and loses contact with her twin brother, Sebastian, whom she believes to be dead. She poses as a castrato — a boy castrated before puberty to maintain a high singing voice — by the name Cesario and serves Duke Orsino.

The duke is in love with Lady Olivia, who falls in love with the cross-dressing Viola (Cesario), while Viola is actually in love with the Duke. Viola's twin brother Sebastian shows up and marries Olivia, who proposed to him under the pretense he was Cesario.

It's all good, though, when Viola — who has become the duke's confidant as Cesario — reveals herself as a woman and the duke marries her instead.

In true Shakespearean comedic fashion, there are subplots throughout the play. The production strays from true Shakespeare, though, by taking out the "thees" and "thous" and such.

"I don't even know if you want to call it contemporary," costume designer Deana Luetkenhaus said. "We've been teasing and calling it art nouveau meets 'Star Wars.'"

The concept behind this stage production seems to mirror a trend that film has followed recent years: Taking Shakespearean works and repositioning them into a more contemporary setting.

"It's old but new at the same time," Luetkenhaus said. "It's one of those that you have to see."

She said the semicontemporary feel was director Rob Dillion's concept.

"A lot of people look at Shakespeare and say 'Oh, no, that's hard to understand,'" she said. "By throwing some more common elements into the mix of it, it brings it more to a universal standard. The verbiage used in Shakespeare is not the way we speak today."

"Twelfth Night" will be performed at 7:30 p.m. today and Friday, and 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the River Campus.

Tickets are $12 and $14 at the River Campus box office weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., or by calling 651-2265. Tickets also may be purchased at all MetroTix outlets, online at MetroTix.com, keyword "Twelfth" or by calling 800-293-5949.