With Jonathan Slinger as Malvolio and David Farr as director, this production of Twelfth Night looks unbeatable on paper. These two theatre-makers were behind the excellent production of The Homecoming last year.

Sadly the end result on this occasion is a somewhat unbalanced version of one of Shakespeare’s most beloved comedies. Let's start with the positives: there are a couple of a stand-out performances and a brilliant set design.

Kirsty Bushell gives a fresh and interesting interpretation of Olivia – finding nuances that I could never have imagined from the familiar lines. She is constantly alert to the situation and always catches the eye – even with the smallest of gestures or looks.

As Sir Andrew Aguecheek, Bruce Mackinnon confirms his potential as a great Shakespearean comedian. His antics are a constant joy to watch with a great flexibility in his physicality as well as in his verbal dexterity.

The performance makes a brilliant use of the underlying scenic structures that are present for all of the main house productions this season. Jon Bausor has designed an atmospheric set that perfectly creates the feel of a decaying hotel whilst never imposing itself on the action. It is truly a delight to behold with wonderful use of distortion and angles to create visual interest.

I wish I could be as positive about some of the other elements. Slinger has all the acting chops to be a great Malvolio. Here he does not quite live up to his potential to be one of the finest character actors of this generation. His opening scenes work well – winning over the audience with a solidly entertaining letter scene. It is after the interval that things start to unravel.

In a modern dress production such as this it is hard to come up with a costume solution for the yellow stockings scene that is outrageous enough to suit the absurdity of the situation while remaining true to the character. But I fear the decision to pair the yellow stockings with a co-ordinating jockstrap is a step too far. For me the sight of buttocks undermined the wonderful writing of the scene because the audience was invited to laugh at the costume at the expense of the situation or the language. The audience loved it but I'm certain Mr Slinger is capable of delivering the laughs without the need of such assistance from the wardrobe.

Some of the other cast members are still finding their feet and there is a flatness to some of the acting. Hopefully that will change.

The Tempest (RSC) The Tempest is an enigmatic play and almost impossible to pin it down but David Farr’s elegant and melancholic production does much engages with both the play and the audience to often brilliant effect.

His deeply considered production uses the simplest of means to convey some very subtle moments of emotion and shifts in tone. He exploits the Royal Shakespeare Theatre to the fullest – delivering the magic of the play with often breath-taking audacity.

Jonathan Slinger is magnificent as Prospero. His is a mercurial interpretation: he switches mood from stern, chiding school teacher to playful manipulator with consummate skill. He is very contained and precise, using his voice with pinpoint accuracy to make every line count. It is really a performance that makes you view the character with fresh eyes. He alone makes the production worth seeing.

Also excellent are Sandy Grierson as a moving Ariel who matches the physicality of his master while also revelling in the more fantastical elements of his character. The relationship with Prospero is full of longing, regret and genuine affection – it is almost heart-breaking at times. Felix Hayes and Bruce Mackinnon (Trinculo and Stephano) mine their comic scenes with great skill.

As with the rest of this season, the set by Jon Bausor is outstanding. The use of a plastic box for Prospero’s cell is inspired and creates some memorable images. It has been said that the new theatre prohibits the potential for great scenic design that was possible in the old theatre but Bausor’s work proves quite the opposite. Truly outstanding.

The music (Adem Ilhan) and sound (Christopher Shutt) add to the atmosphere without drawing attention to themselves.

There are some problems. The opening scene – the tempest itself – is delivered with very distorted voices making it nearly impossible to pick out any of the lines. And I was un-convinced by the relationship between Miranda and Ferdinand which felt less well developed than some of the other partnerships on stage.

But this is an understated and beautifully judged piece of directing with moments that I will treasure. Not perfect – but the best thing you will see in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre this season.

Ephesus is a dark, dangerous and violent place in Amir Nizar Zuabi’s foreboding and forbidding new production of one of Shakespeare’s sunniest plays. Death is a constant threat and the authorities are happy to indulge in various forms of torture in order to assert their control.

Despite the abundant humour this is a bleaker interpretation than one might expect and there are some abrupt tonal shifts (particularly in the scenes with the Duke) which sit rather uneasily with the text.

The set (Jon Bausor) and lighting (Jon Clark) work well to reinforce the industrial setting with particularly inventive use of a crane mechanism to effect some key scene changes. The stage sits on top of a tank of water adding another element of danger to the proceedings, creating some vivid stage pictures and strongly evoking the dockside feel

If only the work on the text had been as strong as the design.

The Comedy of Errors is one of Shakepeare's shorter plays and so it is a particular shame that delivery of the lines is so rushed as to make the words almost impossible to understand. Breathless urgency is sometimes achieved at the expense of clarity and while the production makes good use of physical comedy (sometimes uncomfortably violent) more focus on mining the comic potential of Shakespeare’s lines might have been wise.

There are some strong characterisations. Both Dromios (Felix Hayes and Bruce Mackinnon) rapidly win the audience over with their bright and lively portrayals. The Antipholus twins (Stephen Hagan and Jonathan McGuinness) are well differentiated yet firmly establish themselves as identical individuals.

This is certainly not the funniest production of The Comedy of Errors I have seen. The Royal Shakespeare Company is keen that the three plays being presented under the Shakespeare's shipwreck trilogy umbrella of “What Country Friends Is This?" (the others are Twelfth Night and The Tempest) be viewed together and perhaps the darker tone of this production makes more sense in that context.

But viewed alone this challenging and bold interpretation in only a partial success.

- by Simon Tavener