Tufts Department of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies’ production of “Twelfth Night” opens Friday in Balch Arena Theater. The production is not your typical Shakespeare, though. “Twelfth Night” is a musical adaptation of Shakespeare’s original romantic comedy and explores themes of self-discovery and gender in an exciting new way. The classic story of Viola finding her way in the mystical land of Illyria, altering her appearance and being tangled in a love triangle has been adopted by the Tufts cast and crew in a way that will surely entertain and leave a lasting impression on audiences.  

For those who may not be familiar with the original, “Twelfth Night” is a comedic play written by Shakespeare around 1602. The story revolves around twins, Viola and Sebastian, who are separated during a shipwreck. Viola disguises herself as a man named Cesario and serves Duke Orsino, whom she falls in love with. Orsino, however, is in love with Olivia, a noblewoman mourning the recent deaths of her father and brother. Olivia, in turn, falls in love with Cesario, who is actually Viola in disguise. The plot thickens with mistaken identities, romantic entanglements and humorous antics involving other characters like Sir Toby Belch, Maria, Sir Andrew Aguecheek and Malvolio. The modern musical version of “Twelfth Night” was conceived in 2018 by Kwame Kwei-Armah and Shaina Taub and received excellent reviews. For this production at Tufts, “Twelfth Night” is directed by Amelia Estrada.