Cover photo by Richard Termine

Malvolio

Betty Shamieh

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PERFORMANCE RIGHTS

Description

An irreverent comedy and sequel to Shakespeare’s TWELFTH NIGHT. It’s wartime. A lowborn steward, Malvolio, has risen to the rank of general. He is determined to seek vengeance on a cast of characters who tormented him twenty years earlier until he encounters Volina, the daughter of Duke Orsino and Duchess Viola. MALVOLIO explores both revenge and redemption.

Production Info

Cast: 14 total (5 female, 9 male, doubling possible, ensemble extras)
Full Length Comedy (about 100 minutes)
Minimal Set Requirements
Period Costumes
Categories: ,
Reviews

Press Quotes

“The playwright Betty Shamieh has turned [TWELFTH NIGHT] into a hero’s origin story with her clever, winking new play MALVOLIO. Critical of war, skeptical of marriage and astute about the warping effect of defining oneself through trauma, MALVOLIO regards its characters from a distinctly female point of view … a comedy with last-minute reveals that are entirely in the spirit of Shakespeare, and utterly charming.” —The New York Times

“In Betty Shamieh’s sly sequel MALVOLIO, the pompous puritan discovers that forgiveness is sweeter than vengeance, even when served twenty years cold … But Shamieh is not just out for laughs. Toward the end, as the characters confront each other and long-held secrets and longings are revealed, you may even find yourself a little verklempt. Would that we all could have a second act as fulfilling as MALVOLIO’s.” —Time Out New York

“You absolutely do not want to miss! The story is set twenty years after the events of Shakespeare’s comedy, and it centers on the title character, a prickly domestic steward who’s misled and mistreated in the original play. The play is funny and thoughtful … a real delight!” —WNYC News

About the Author

Author

  • Betty Shamieh

    Betty Shamieh is the author of fifteen plays and the Mellon Foundation Playwright in Residence at the Classical Theatre of Harlem (CTH). Her comedy, MALVOLIO, premiered in the Uptown Shakespeare in the Park at the Richard Rodgers Amphitheatre and was a New York Times Critic's Pick. Winner of the 2023 New York Shakespeare Award for Best Comedy, MALVOLIO was nominated for ten AUDELCO Awards, including Best Play. A graduate of Harvard College and the Yale School of Drama, Shamieh was named a UNESCO Young Artist for Intercultural Dialogue, Harvard University Clifton Visiting Artist, a Denning Visiting Artist at Stanford, and Radcliffe Playwriting Fellow. She was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship for Drama in 2016. Her dramedy, ROAR, premiered off-Broadway at the New Group and was named a New York Times Critic's Pick. Her other theatre productions include: THE BLACK EYED (New York Theatre Workshop & The Magic Theatre), FIT FOR A QUEEN (Classical Theatre of Harlem), THE MACHINE (Naked Angels), THE STRANGEST (The Semitic Root), and TERRITORIES (EU Capital of Culture Festival & The Magic Theatre). Shamieh wrote and co-starred in her play of monologues, CHOCOLATE IN HEAT, in two extended Off-Off-Broadway runs and over twenty university theatres. Her works have been translated into seven languages. Her debut novel, Too Soon, will be published by Avid Reader Press, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, in 2025. Follow her on Instagram and Facebook @bettyshamieh.

About the Book

Book Information

Publisher BPPI
Publication Date 9/18/2024
Pages 86
ISBN 9798888560280

Special Notes

Special Notes

Licensees are required to include the original stage producers credits in the following form on the title page in all programs distributed in connection with performances of the Play and in all advertising in which the full cast appears in size of type not less than ten percent (10%) of the size of the title of the Play:

Originally produced in New York City on 8 July 2023
by the Classical Theatre of Harlem,
Ty Jones, Producing Artistic Director; Michael Windham, General Manager

The following must appear within all programs distributed in connection with performances of the Play:
Malvolio is produced
by special arrangement with Broadway Play Publishing Inc, NYC
www.broadwayplaypublishing.com