Can anyone give me tips on staging Olivia in Twelfth Night?

Question

I'm playing her for my high schools Wild Western production of Shakespeare's twelfth Night, and if anyone has any experience or tips on how to really make this character come to life, i'd appreciate it!

Answer 1

The key to Olivia is her VANITY. She makes a big ostentatious show of her mourning, and she adores the fact that Orsino keeps giving her the power to say "no" to him. When Viola (dressed as Cesario) shows up, Olivia has that amazing speech where she "inventories" her body parts...clearly, she thinks pretty highly of herself.

Olivia and Orsino are both in love with the IDEA of being in love. Notice how quickly Orsino gives over his "love" for Olivia in order to marry Viola at the end of the play, and how quickly Viola is willing to trade Viola/Cesario for Sebastian.

So, Olivia is a bit of a zany...but, if you set her up properly in the first several scenes, you'll create for yourself the opportunity to show what an enormous effect Cesario has on her. For a person like Olivia, it must be quite a shock to the system to find herself ACTUALLY falling in love.

Good luck with it.