Twelfth Night

Synopsis

Or What You Will. Shakespeare comedy of mistaken identity, practical jokes and unrequited love. Rescued from a shipwreck the twins Viola and Sebastian arrive independently in Illyria, both thinking the other is drowned. Viola disguises herself as a boy and finds employment with the Duke who is in love with Olivia. Malvolio is the subject of a cruel joke played on him by Sir Toby Belch (yellow stockings cross-gartered) leading him to believe that Olivia loves him. But Olivia has fallen in love with the disguised Viola, while she is in love with the Duke (following it so far?!).

Our Review:

23 October 2002

As does his twinned production of Uncle Vanya, Sam Mendes' final offering at the Donmar takes its theme from a line in Shakespeare's 23rd sonnet. But, while the notion of unspoken love may encapsulate Chekhov's play perfectly, I'm not sure it applies so much to Twelfth Night, where only Viola's love for Orsino is silent.

Perhaps Mendes is trying a bit too hard to find commonality between the two plays. A very sombre affair - taken at a pace as funereal as Olivia's mourning weeds (nicely complemented by Caroline Humphris's evocative music) - his Twelfth Night seems oddly more like a Chekhovian production than a Shakespearean one.

There's nothing inherently wrong with that. This is, after all, one of Shakespeare's most melancholy comedies, and Mendes' version provides an interesting contrast with this summer's lively production at the Globe. But in emphasising the play's sadness, a little of its comedy has been lost.

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Latest User Review

USER: Whatsonstage.com (193.130.127.205) - 26 November 2002:

It's very interesting to read other peoples' reviews, because I thought this was an outstanding production - as was 'Uncle Vanya'. Sam Mendes is clearly going out on a high. Simon Russell Beale is a very watchable Malvolio - imperious, moving, hilarious. Yes, he is fairly camp in the role and I'm not sure why, but we loved it. The rest of cast is also first-rate - Emily Watson, Helen McCrory, Mark Strong... and superb turns from David Bradley and Paul Jesson as Sir Toby Belch and Sir Andrew Aguecheek. They had us in stitches, and Anthony O'Donnell's Feste was in fine voice as Feste. (Incidentally, if you like the songs, you can buy a 25-minute CD of the Uncle Vanya/Twelfth Night incidental music and songs from the Donmar for £5.) It's no surprise that tickets for the production sold out so quickly. This was Shakespeare at its best. Andrew B...

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