The Cast Photo by Joan Marcus

Diehard fans of the Delacorte will be happy to note that while everything has been spruced up (new plastic stadium seats, greater accessibility, and wait 'til you see the spiffy restrooms!), the time-honored elements remain, including the ever-popular raccoon visits, the helicopters flying overhead, and an infusion of a generosity of spirit that makes this a truly magical space.

This presentation of Twelfth Night, the seventh version the Delacorte has hosted of Shakespeare's romantic comedy of identity confusion, deflating of egos, and general clowning and debauchery, is a decided crowd-pleaser under the zippy (snipped back to 115 intermissionless minutes) direction of Saheem Ali.

This being Shakespeare in the Park, as opposed to, say, Shakespeare at the Globe, there have been a number of additions and deletions to the proceedings as put forth by the Bard in the early days of the seventeenth century. But the plot remains quite discernible. Twins Viola (a luminous Lupita Nyong'o) and her brother Sebastian (Junior Nyong'o, Lupita's sibling in real life, though not her twin) are shipwrecked and separated in a storm at sea and are each washed up on the shores of Illyria, a place that is foreign to them. Strangers in a strange land, both believe the other to have perished.

There are two threads to the tale. The first belongs to Viola. In it, she decides she will be more successful in establishing herself in Illyria if she were to disguise herself as a young man. She calls herself "Cesario" and finds a position as a servant to Duke Orsino (Khris Davis, nicely capturing his character's superciliousness). In short order, "Cesario" has become a trusted confidante, whom Orsino sends as an emissary to woo a noblewoman on his behalf, the Countess Olivia (Sandra Oh, a thorough delight). Olivia is in a self-imposed long period of mourning and declares she has no interest in Orsino or any other man. That is, until she feasts her eyes on "Cesario." Now Viola finds herself in the unhappy position of having to keep her true identity concealed while fending off Olivia. To further complicate matters, Viola has fallen in love with Orsino, who thinks she is a man. It's all very Victor/Victoria, though in Elizabethan English and rhyming couplets.

You'd think the second plot thread would be about Viola's brother Sebastian, but he doesn't make a significant appearance until later in the evening. Instead, there's a subplot involving Olivia's riotous uncle, Sir Toby Belch (John Ellison Conlee, a consummate clown), his foolish companion Sir Andrew Aguecheek (a goofy Jesse Tyler Ferguson), and Olivia's clever lady-in-waiting Maria (Daphne Rubin-Vega, perfectly rounding out the trio). When not boozing it up or indulging in other potent substances, the three come up with an elaborate prank to play on the holier-than-thou Malvolio (Peter Dinklage, an absolute scene-stealer). Though a servant in Olivia's household, he is led to believe she is in love with him, and he eagerly swallows the bait.

Amidst the romance and comedy, we are treated to the production's embrace of Duke Orsino's famous quote: "If music be the food of love, play on." And so, a quintet of musicians and the character of Olivia's witty jester Feste (Moses Sumney) regale the company and us with embedded performances throughout the evening. And, because the folks at the Public Theater rarely leave their big-hearted values behind, this production makes sure we understand that Viola and Sebastian have come from far away. When they do reunite, in a very touchingly staged scene, it's impossible not to think of the plight of refugees and immigrants. Oh, and one last thing: in case you have forgotten, the actual full title of the play is Twelfth Night or What You Will. Not to worry; you will be reminded.