The Bard’s ‘Twelfth Night’ live on stage at Niagara-on-the-Lake distillery

Inspired by Bacchus, the Roman god of wine and theatre, the Niagara-area troupe will be performing one of William Shakespeare’s funniest comedies, Twelfth Night, for the audience with eight performances over six nights.

For those who remember their high school Shakespeare, Twelfth Night is a quirky mish-mash of a gender-bender as identical twins – one man, one woman – get separated after a shipwreck. Viola, who thinks her brother Sebastian is dead, assumes his identity and before long, she has a woman in love with her, thinking she’s a man.

When Sebastian eventually shows up, being the spitting image of his sister, lots of confusion and hilarity follows around exactly who is promised to whom.

Written in 1601, the hijinks are reminiscent of crazy modern-age British farce stage shows, written around misunderstandings and mistaken identities. (Or perhaps think of Three’s Company but more highbrow.) The play consistently ranks among the greatest plays ever written and has been dubbed “The Perfect Comedy.”

Since the show is being held at the Spirit in Niagara Craft Distillery, the ticket price includes a 750-ml To Go bottle of SiN Iced Tea that can be consumed during the show or as a take-home treat.

The restaurant at the distillery (458 Lakeshore Rd) is open until 8 pm, it is recommended guests arrive two hours before showtime for food service.

Spirit in Niagara Craft Distillery is locally known for creating small-batch fruit spirits using the freshly fallen fruit collected on the farms at their distillery. “Using this incredible fruit not only reduces food waste, it supports farmers and families while protecting the farmland and rich soils of the Niagara Region for the generations to come.”

For more information on the mini-Shakespeare festival or tickets, check HERE.