SEQUIM — Keith Curtis, aka Malvolio, has a favorite line.
“Some are born great. Some achieve greatness.
“And others have greatness thrust upon them,” he recited on a recent night.
“Thus the whirligig of time brings in his revenges.”
The whirligig also brings “Twelfth Night,” the Shakespeare comedy from whence these lines come, to Olympic Theatre Arts on Saturday afternoon.
Curtis, plus 12 fellow cast members, will give the play a dramatic reading at 3 p.m. in the Gathering Hall, which will be decked out as an Elizabethan house of revelry.
This is, after all, a celebration of the 12th night of Christmas, so mulled wine, regular wine, soft drinks and other treats will be available at the bar.
Doors will open at 2 p.m., and tickets will be $10 at the door of OTA, 414 N. Sequim Ave. It’s open seating, and the hall will be arranged with cabaret-style tables.
As Malvolio, though, Curtis plays the one “Twelfth Night” man who does not wish to revel.
“He’s a stick in the mud … such a killjoy,” reported Curtis.
The actor, who on weekdays plays an advertising designer at the Peninsula Daily News, was happy to explain Shakespeare’s convoluted plot.
A pair of twins, Viola (Kira Hendricksen) and Sebastian (Joel Yelland) are caught in a shipwreck. Each believes the other is dead.
Viola finds herself on the faraway island of Illyria, where she disguises herself as a boy, goes to work for Duke Orsino (Mark Valentine) and falls in love with him.
The duke, however, is infatuated with a local lady, Olivia (Christie Honore), so he sends his servant “boy” to woo her.
Our lady, of course, falls for the boy.
Meanwhile, other servants get mischievous and play a trick on Malvolio, dropping a letter in his path to make him believe the lady of the house is smitten with him.
In the end, there are three weddings, Curtis noted. How we get there is the stuff of which Sequim’s “Twelfth Night” is made.
“We did this last year. It was a packed house. We’re hoping the novelty hasn’t worn off,” he quipped.
“The play will run about an hour, maybe a bit more,” OTA manager Carol Willis estimated.
She listed the rest of the cast: Richard Hendricksen as Sir Toby Belch, Olivia’s uncle; Carl Honore as the rich Sir Andrew Aguecheek; Karl Hatton as Feste the jester; Merv Wingard as the servant Fabian; Judi Wingard as both a soldier and a priest; Susan Dryer as Maria, Olivia’s gentlewoman; Miles Carignan as Captain Antonio and Tina Ryan as the attendants Valentine and Curio.
“The actors stroll through the tables while reading the Bard,” Willis said, so “patrons are encouraged to dress in medieval attire and add to the festivities.”
For information, see www.OlympicTheatreArts.org or phone the box office at 360-683-7326.
