Leviathan Lab's "Twelfth Night" Nov 3-19, 2011

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Announcement from Leviathan Lab

Leviathan Lab stages Wong Kar-wai-inspired "Twelfth Night" with Asian American Cast

From left: Tina Chilip (Viola), Eileen Rivera (Olivia),
Ka-Ling Cheung (Maria), Karen Lee (Maria)

Leviathan Lab, a newly-established Asian American theater company, presents its inaugural production, a "Wong Kar-Wai-inspired" production of William Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night" from Nov 3 to 19, 2011 at Arclight Theater in Manhattan, New York City.

Filipino Americans in the production include:
Nelson Eusebio III, director (assistant director, "All's Well That Ends Well," Shakespeare in the Park 2011)
Tina Chilip (Viola)
Eileen Rivera (Olivia)
Kurt Uy (Orsino, Fight Choreographer)
John Roque (Sir Toby Belch)
Jojo Gonzales (Feste )
Andrew Eisenman (Malvolio)

Collaborators and cast

From left: Marcus Ho (Sir Andrew), John Roque (Sir Toby), Jojo Gonzalez (Feste),
Eugene Oh (Antonio), Andrew Eisenman (Malvolio), Roger Yeh (Valentine)

The production will be directed by Leviathan Lab Artistic Director Nelson T. Eusebio III with original music by veteran Broadway actor/composer Jason Ma (The Sly Fox, Miss Saigon, Shogun the Musical), choreography by Dax Valdes, and sets & costumes by Maiko Chii (Oenslager Fellowship for Design, Elson Award for Design).

The production will feature an all Asian American cast from the Leviathan Lab acting company.

Synopsis
In "Twelfth Night," Viola, a young woman shipwrecked and stranded in the seaside city of Illyria, sets a series of events into motion that create a tangled knot of mistaken identities, bewildering desires, practical jokes, and ribald revelry that only time and fortune can untie.

Staging
Inspired by the films of auteur Wong Kar-wai, Leviathan Lab’s re-imagining of Shakespeare’s classic romantic comedy will be set in Hong Kong in the 1960’s during the twelve days of Christmas. “The lush sensuality and deep sense of nostalgia that permeates the Hong Kong depicted in Wong Kar-wai’s films set in the 1960’s ("In the Mood for Love," "Days of Being Wild") feels like the kind of Illyria that makes your heart swoon,” says Eusebio. “That feeling of being drunk on love and romantic spirit seems perfect for the world of 'Twelfth Night,' a play very much about emotion grown to excess.”

Eusebio adds, “The music of Hong Kong in the 1960’s was a crazy mix of Chinese opera stars, Nat King Cole crooned in Spanish, and a lot of 1960’s western pop sung by Filipino club musicians. This collage of musical styles provided Jason Ma with a feast of inspiration for Shakespeare’s most musical play.”

The company
Leviathan Lab is a professional creative studio founded in 2009 that includes more than 75 Asian-American actors, writers, and directors. Leviathan Lab invests in the advancement of both emerging and established Asian American performing artists by featuring them in new works by Asian American writers, in fresh interpretations of classical plays, and in original works for film, TV, and new media.

Performance details
Nov 3-19 (Thurs-Sat, 8PM; Sun, 2PM; Wed, at 8PM)
Arclight Theater is at 152 West 71st Street, Level 1
between Broadway and Columbus Avenues in Manhattan.

Tickets are $18 general admission, $15 students and seniors, with special prices for groups of 10 or more.

Contact +1.213.344.8499 or oliver@leviathanlab.com.

Leviathan Lab
244 Fifth Avenue, Ste. E282
New York, NY  10001
212.726.1059
info@leviathanlab.com
www.leviathanlab.com
Ariel Estrada, Founder and Executive Director
Nelson T. Eusebio III, Artistic Director

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