Costumes for Twelfth Night: The Rascals

The main, more familiar storyline of Twelfth Night focuses on the love triangle among the characters of Viola, Orsino and Olivia, as well as the mistaken identities of Viola and her twin brother, Sebastian.

Lesser known, is the secondary storyline involving the secondary or supporting characters, who in our production became affectionately known as "The Rascals," due to their shenanigans and mischievous behaviour. Maria, Sir Toby Belch, Sir Andrew Aguecheek, Fabian, and Feste the Clown, team up to play a practical joke on Malvolio, the steward or head servant of Olivia's household, in an attempt to humiliate him in front of their mistress.

The Rascals
photo by: Ross Davidson

In designing the looks for these characters, I spent some time reading, researching and analyzing the characters long before I began sketching them. The costumes needed to reflect each character's role within the story as well as their individual personality. Through the use of colour, fabric and pattern, The Rascals are tied together as a group, set apart from the other characters while still maintaining the overall look for the show.

MARIA

played by: JULIA WEBB

Maria is Olivia's lady-in-waiting who is the mastermind behind the plot to humiliate Malvolio. Because of that, I wanted to create two very different looks for her; one that reflected more on her role as Olivia's maid, and a second that identified her as one of The Rascals. For her first costume, Maria would mirror Olivia's state of mourning, with darker tones and a more rigid, Victorian shape. My original design (below on the left) began much darker and more layered than what ended up on stage, largely because of the beautiful blouse I found at The Costume Shoppe that was a perfect fit. I completed the look with a gold trimmed, black velvet waist corset and a veiled hat, which I embellished to compliment her Victorian look.

costume design, costume & hat construction by: Whitney Bolam
*costume pieces also sourced from The Costume Shoppe

Maria's second costume needed to be more reflective of her role as one of The Rascals. While her corset and jacket still suggest a sense of formality in her role as a lady-in-waiting, the lighter tone with a floral pattern in shades of soft green, together with flowing fabrics and an asymmetrical skirt lends the playfulness we see in Maria through her humorous interactions with the boys.

costume design & construction by: Whitney Bolam

Maria and Toby have a friendly relationship at the beginning of the play, which is infused with hints that there is something more going on between them. This is confirmed by the end of the story as we are told the two have been married. Their costumes needed to display some form of bond between these two characters, and because Maria would have two very different looks, I played with the colour green as well as the floral patterns on Toby's waistcoat, Maria's skirt in her first costume and her long jacket in the second.

SIR TOBY BELCH

played by: STEVE FAVRO

Sir Toby Belch is Olivia's uncle, and as his name suggests, is often described as crude, robust and rowdy. He is a penniless drunkard, has a flirtatious relationship with Maria, schemes for entertainment, and takes full advantage of his friend, Sir Andrew Aguecheek, in order to maintain his extravagant lifestyle. While he may not be the kind of man one would want as a friend, he was certainly enjoyable to costume because of his loud personality.

I wanted Sir Toby's costume to be an extension of the character, and an outward symbol of Toby's relationship with Sir Andrew. Though he is penniless, Sir Toby is well dressed thanks, not to his wealthy niece, but to his friend who has a vast fortune. The garish floral print on his waistcoat together with his short pants evoke the same playfulness we see in Maria and the rest of The Rascals. Throughout the show, Sir Toby removes and adds pieces of his costume to coincide with his level of drunkenness. 

costume design by: Whitney Bolamt
costume construction by: Sylvia Behr & Mary Jane Walzak
*costume pieces also sourced from LCP Wardrobe

Sir Toby and Sir Andrew have been described as a team who represent opposite sides of a coin. This is reflected in their costumes; Toby is playful with short pants and no jacket, while Andrew is very formal with his three piece suit, bowler hat, pocket square and boutonniere. Yet, the colour scheme of green, beige and rose ties them together, and even more subtly, so do their waistcoats: the floral pattern on the front of Sir Toby's is echoed in the flowers and leaves on the back of Sir Andrew, while his stripes also appear on the back of Sir Toby. It's one of those little touches I like to add when I'm designing a show, one that you'll miss if you blink.

SIR ANDREW AGUECHEEK

played by: MICHAEL DONALDSON

Sir Andrew is a fool, but he's a rich fool and that needed to shine through in his costume. As a rich out-of-towner, Sir Andrew's look differs from those of Sir Toby, Fabian and Feste. I wanted Andrew in long pants to contrast with the knickers worn by the others, and I set to work to find him a perfect-fit three-piece suit, which was no easy task. In the end, I settled on this beautiful brown and ivory striped suit with a custom waistcoat and matching accessories, which I loaded on with gusto. From his bowler hat, floral boutonniere and pocket square, to his silver cufflinks and matching pocket watch, Sir Andrew is dressed to the nines. As Walt Disney once said, "Its all in the details," and he was absolutely right. 

costume design by: Whitney Bolam
costume construction by: Debra Chantler
*costume pieces also sourced from LCP Wardrobe

FABIAN

played by: JASON MCMANNIS

Fabian is a relatively unseen servant in Olivia's household, and does not make an appearance until he participates in The Rascals' plot against Malvolio. His duties within the household are never explained in the script, and so I created a reason for his absence from the storyline; he was the chauffeur. In keeping with the colour scheme and the playfulness already exhibited by Maria and Sir Toby, I designed short pants to go with his waistcoat, and added driving goggles to his custom designed cap and a scarf for some fun.

costume & hat design and hat construction by: Whitney Bolam
costume construction by: Mary Jane Walzak
*costume pieces also sourced from The Costume Shoppe & LCP Wardrobe

FESTE

played by: LLIAM BUCKLEY

Feste the Clown is Olivia's fool; he is quick with words, integrates himself with just about every character throughout the entire story, all the while entertaining through song, dance and comedy. His costume is casual, complimenting his relaxed personality, and as he shifts from one grouping of characters to another, his neutral look blends in with the costumes surrounding him.

costume design by: Whitney Bolam
costume pieces sourced from: The Costume Shoppe & LCP Wardrobe

During my initial meeting with the director, long before the actors had been cast, she expressed a desire to see "swim costumes" from the Victorian/Edwardian era. With eight ladies filling the role of The Chorus, one young lady would wear a swim dress and bloomers, but I didn't have any men to wear the traditional swim vest and shorts. I wanted to find a way to get this look on the stage, and Feste was the natural choice, as he was a sort of extension of The Chorus, singing and dancing with them throughout the show. The director was delighted, and worked it in to the top of the second half of the show, where Feste and The Chorus are splashing in the surf at the beach.

costume design by: Whitney Bolam
costume construction by: Mary Jane Walzak

MALVOLIO

played by: RAY MOREAU

Malvolio is the steward, or head servant, in Olivia's household, but unlike his fellow servants, he is not a joyful man. He lives his life with dignity and decorum, and his outward disapproval of Sir Toby and the raucous lifestyle he leads is what leads to his demise. Maria describes him as a puritan, and though most productions of Twelfth Night costume Malvolio in black to symbolize this, I wanted to take him in a different direction to honour our colour palette, and instead chose for him to wear an ivory suit, as ivory represents purity.

costume design by: Whitney Bolam
*costume pieces sourced from: Bud Gowan & The Costume Shoppe

For his second, and perhaps the most famous look in Twelfth Night, Malvolio dons a pair of yellow stockings with cross garters in an attempt to woo his mistress. Olivia abhors the colour yellow, and though this colour was purposely not in my original colour palette, I knew it had to be used for this costume. I found a beautiful plaid fabric of yellow, dusty rose and burgundy for a custom waistcoat, and from there the entire look came together. Obviously Malvolio's legs needed to be the focus of this costume, and so I designed short pants to show off his custom dyed stockings and ribbon cross garters. 

costume design by: Whitney Bolam
costume construction by: Sylvia Behr & Mary Jane Walzak
*costume pieces also sourced from Bud Gowan & The Costume Shoppe

~ with special thanks to Ross Davidson for the production photos ~