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:

16 September 2003

Following her innovative take on A Midsummer Night's Dream last year, director Lucy Bailey works her magic on another Shakespeare play at the Royal Exchange. But can lightning strike twice? The audience on the night I attended Bailey's Twelfth Night would certainly like to think so. And, from Katrina Lindsay's water-logged set to Steve Brown's eerie sound effects, it is clear that the 'wrapping' is spot on. It's a shame then that the production feels as if it's slightly over-egged in other departments.

I blame the panoply of post-modern references. The Simpsons, The Godfather, Burt Baccharach and even Kool and The Gang are all thrown into the melting pot. This mixture of the bard and popular culture worked in Bailey's Dream, but this time round it feels rather more forced and 'knowing.' I kept experiencing that awful sinking feeling you get when a joke is repeated ad nauseum in a m...

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Latest User Review

USER: Whatsonstage.com (195.8.166.80) - 3 October 2003:

Great on comedy but less so on the poetry in the play. Lots of different accents made hearing the words a problem at times. But the slapstick comedy was certainly a hit with the kids and this is a production which would be an ideal introduction to Shakespeare for all ages....

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