Twelfth Night or What You Will |
Published on Tuesday, 22 May 2012 | |||||
Twelfth Night! Surely one of Shakespeare’s more improbable storylines, with its tale of shipwreck and gender confusion in faraway Illyria. But Peta Taylor’s well-conceived adaptation moves the action closer to home – setting the tale in a no-less-mythical, misty-eyed version of Scotland. It’s a world filled with tartan, tweeds and Whisky Galore; I was in love with the idea from the moment the minstrel struck up Loch Lomond, and the relocation proved every bit as inspired as I hoped it would be. Together with director Nicholas Quirke, Taylor has conjured her vision perfectly, eschewing heavy-handed accents yet filling the play with subtle reminders that we’re not in Illyria any more. The court jester’s a seafarer in sweater and wellies, and even the lairds and ladies dress with comparative modesty – the first among equals rather than a class apart. The inspired milieu lends an earthy, rough-and-ready feel to the whole production, fitting for an outdoor performance on an improvised stage. Maybe more surprisingly, it also proves an ideal match to Shakespeare’s romantic flights of fancy; when you think about it, it’s preposterous for a duchess to pursue a servant, but it seems entirely credible here. It also offers comedic contrast for Simon Helyer’s Malvolio, the pompous and self-aggrandising steward who underpins much of the first acts’ wit. There’s a little of Basil Fawlty around Helyer’s ramrod-backed, shrill-voiced persona, and he builds his role towards a satisfying dénouement centred on a fashion faux pas and misplaced affection for his lady. I’m almost ashamed to admit how childishly I looked forward to seeing his yellow stockings – though in the event, I was somewhat distracted from the big reveal by a disorganised end to the interval. If Helyer is John Cleese, then Doug Devaney is plainly Brian Blessed, delivering a booming and buffoonish interpretation of Sir Toby Belch. If ever an actor was born for a role, Devaney was born for this one – and his comic misdeeds do much to hold the side-stories together. Matt Carrington’s Sir Andrew Aguecheek is less of a caricature, and he fades into the background more than he should; a shame, since he could be the ideal foil to Devaney’s mischief. Among the female leads, meanwhile, Joanna Rosenfeld has Olivia just right, very slightly sex-crazed and yet so terribly posh. Her wide-eyed enthusiasm is a true delight, never more than when she practically rugby-tackles the hapless Cesario. While we can’t blame the players for Shakespeare’s harebrained plot, the confusing final acts felt a little less successful to me – and if you’re not up to speed on this lesser-known of the Bard’s works, you may be glad of the comprehensive bluffer’s guide you’ll find inside the programme. But, even if a few of the plot points get lost, there’s certainly no shortage of animated comic tableaux to enjoy. What’s more, the play is filled with home-spun musical interludes (see if you can spot the sea-captain playing the drum with his pipe!), and every so often the cast break into song – much of it the rough chanting of the tavern, but some of it surprisingly tender. It all adds up to a relaxing, comforting evening’s entertainment, true to Shakespeare’s script yet approachable enough for non-scholars to enjoy. What it doesn’t quite have is that indefinable stamp of unmissability – those special moments of magic which leave you imploring your friends to see it, even in the pouring rain. Happily though, that doesn’t matter: as I write, the forecast for Brighton’s set fair. So bring your family, bring a picnic, and bring a sweater – ideally Fair Isle – for the evening chill. The banks of Illyria are bonnie indeed. |
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FROM OUR ARCHIVES
These are archived reviews of shows from Brighton 2012. We keep our archives online as a courtesy to performers, and for readers who'd like to research previous years' reviews.