Bruce Dow Twelfth Night Analysis

Bruce Dow who portrayed the character of Malvolio in Theater Calgary’s Twelfth Night added a comedic and over the top portrayal of his character. This was shown in his presentation of language, and movement. Dow made two very distinct choices for when he was seen with Olivia compared to when he “thought” he was by himself. When Presented with Olivia, Dow used all of his language with over exaggerated diction, punctuation and tied it all together with upper class finesse. The Actor presented himself with pristine posture, which included a straight spine, and a lifted nose at all times. Doing these choices distinctly made the character seem very pleased of himself. Malvolio believed he was above everyone else in society. This was proved through Dow’s representation of precise language choices alongside his movement development for the character.
Though when Dow presented the character alone, all of the characteristics were foundationally the same, but presented with three times more energy. The reading of the language became even more comedic and slightly hysterical by tripping over words. The character movement was also more amplified through feminine postures. The portal of the character became gitty; taking tiny quicker steps, more movement from the hips when walking, fanning the face from exhaustion/hysteria. By creating these two

The added puppet work furthered whimsy and character into a great classic. Shown in giant puppets like the moving ocean, or man held just the simple tiny arms hanging out of sail boats. The puppet work really showcased the actors well, and also fitted perfectly with the over the top comedic take of the production. The scenes flowed together effortlessly and had a creative presence due to the bight colors and costuming. The set truly took a character of its