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Who Played Viola in Twelfth Night

Viola is a role in Twelfth Night, a play that opened Off-Broadway in 2017.

When a young shipwrecked immigrant named Viola takes a chance on the "wet foot, dry foot" policy of the mid-nineties and washes up amidst the shore of glitzy Illyria, Florida, she finds herself a stranger in a fabulously strange new land. Thinking her twin brother has drowned, Viola throws herself into a new gig as assistant to Orsino, a wealthy Floridian with a serious case of love sickness for a wealthy lady, Olivia. Having disguised herself as a boy to become Orsino's right hand man, Viola (now Cesario) is tasked with delivering his adoring valentines. But as Viola woos in her boss's name, she falls head over spiky heels for the man himself, while Olivia turns her affections to the intriguing young messenger boy, Cesario (also Viola).

21 actors have played Viola in Twelfth Night.

View full cast of Twelfth Night

Performer Production Opened
Mary Frances Scott-Siddons Broadway Twelfth Night 1869
Julia Marlowe Broadway Twelfth Night 1905
Viola Allen Broadway Twelfth Night 1905
Julia Marlowe Broadway Twelfth Night 1907
Broadway Twelfth Night 1910
Julia Marlowe Broadway Twelfth Night 1913
Julia Marlowe Broadway Twelfth Night 1919
Eva Le Gallienne Broadway Twelfth Night 1926
Jane Cowl Broadway Twelfth Night 1930
Virginia Allen Broadway Twelfth Night 1930
Helen Hayes (i) Broadway Twelfth Night 1940
Beatrice Straight Broadway Twelfth Night 1941
Frances Reid Broadway Twelfth Night 1949
Barbara Jefford Broadway Twelfth Night 1958
Blythe Danner Broadway Twelfth Night 1972
Helen Hunt Broadway Twelfth Night 1998
Robin Weigert Broadway Twelfth Night 1998
Matt Harrington Broadway Twelfth Night 2013
Samuel Barnett Broadway Twelfth Night 2013
Nikki M. James Off-Broadway Twelfth Night 2016
Danaya Esperanza Off-Broadway Twelfth Night 2017
Emily Young Off-Broadway Twelfth Night 2017
Nikki M. James Off-Broadway Twelfth Night 2018
Gwyneth Keyworth West End Twelfth Night 2025
Lupita Nyong'o Off-Broadway Twelfth Night 2025

Other Roles in Twelfth Night

Role Production Opened
Antonio Off-Broadway Twelfth Night 2017
Feste Off-Broadway Twelfth Night 2017
Malvolio Off-Broadway Twelfth Night 2017
Maria Off-Broadway Twelfth Night 2017
Olivia Off-Broadway Twelfth Night 2017
Orsino Off-Broadway Twelfth Night 2017
Sebastian Off-Broadway Twelfth Night 2017
Sir Andrew Aguecheek Off-Broadway Twelfth Night 2017
Sir Toby Belch Off-Broadway Twelfth Night 2017
Viola Off-Broadway Twelfth Night 2017

“Viola” Also Appears In

Production Type Year
& Juliet West End 2021
Twelfth Night Off-Broadway 1999
Your Own Thing Off-Broadway 1968

Photos from Twelfth Night

View all 1 photo from Twelfth Night

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