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:

19 January 2011

The return of Sir Peter Hall to the National Theatre, which he led for 15 tempestuous years, was always going to be a major event and Twelfth Night, described by Hall as the “masterwork among the comedies”, seemed like a perfect choice.

As expected from a Hall production, the verse is beautifully spoken and the staging is elegant, right from the opening tableau of Orsino's court, looking for all the world, like a Van Dyk painting. But for all elegance, the production is curiously flat and, most criminally of all, lacking in humour, strangely for a work described by Hall as “heartbreakingly funny”.

Part of the problem is Rebecca Hall's Viola. While I applaud her enunciation, the gender ambiguity of the role is missing. The scene where Orsino compels to confess her desires should be the emotional centrepiece of the play, but here it resembles a type of parlour game, capturing little of the sexual confusion.

[Simon Paisley Da...

Read more of the review

Latest User Review

Rob - 27 February 2011:

A critic summed up this production as mediocre and that is exactly the word I would use to describe it. It lacked sparkle and inovation and, in parts, was frankly boring.Simon Callow was superb and I thought Rebecca Hall made a good effort in her role, but this was not the National Theatre gem that I was expecting from sir Peter Hall....

Read more and add your own review

Related Whatsonstage.com Articles

Review Round-up: Halls Open NT Twelfth Night More»