Sir Andrew is Il Capitano because he won his spurs through his connections in court rather than valor.  I made him the strongman because he pretends to be capable.  I used mainly orange and yellow for his costume because orange is bold the way Sir Andrew wants to be seen, but yellow for is his true cowardly nature.

Malvolio is the harlequin from commedia dell’arte.  He is used for comedic relief and is the true fool of the play.  Feste is too wise to be a fool, he would be the chief comic and the liaison with the audience.  Malvolio is the contortionist because every commedia character has a style of movement and the harlequin is in a continuously lowered position.  Malvolio is also easily manipulated, which fits with the commedia character being quick physically, but slow mentally.

Olivia, Orsino, Sebastian, and Viola are the innamorati:  the two pairs of lovers.  The lovers are always in the air, born aloft by their love.  I made all of the lovers acrobats, but Olivia is a resistant lover and in mourning, so she is on the high bar, relatively close to the ground.  She has muted purples and grays as her colors for the same reason.  She is wearing a mini skirt because it would be impossible for an acrobat to actually perform in a long skirt.  The period underwear is left showing as a way of keeping the medieval feel.

Orsino is on the rings because he is an avid lover.  He is decked out in red and purple because he is passionate in his pursuit of Olivia.  I have chosen spandex for all of my fabric so that the costumes can be cut to look and fit like medieval clothes did while still allowing the actors to move and perform stunts.

Viola and Sebastian are trapeze artists.  It is important for them to be able to work together in the air.  Sebastian is on the trapeze and he catches Viola just as she is about to flounder in the lies she has built up.  The twins are red headed because they need to be obviously foreign.  Their costumes are the same, but their makeup is mirrored.