Reviewed by Mark Johnson
Tickets were gifted in return for an honest review
Twelfth Night has rarely been this fun. Prasanna Puwanarajah's delightful new production, with stylish costumes and visual design, gives Shakespeare's iconic comedy an Edwardian flair. The themes are so delicately explored and balanced that you'd almost forget the numerous versions of the play that have come before.
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| Samuel West as Malvolio. Photo by Helen Murray. |
The play begins as Gwyneth Keyworth's Viola clambers up high at the back of the stage, dripping wet from the shipwreck that has separated her from her brother Sebastian. Now in Illyria, Viola disguises herself as a boy called Cesario and transports herself to Duke Orsino's home for employment. From the get-go this production is highly engaging and passes at a great pace, in fact by the time the interval came I was sure we were only 30 minutes in, 80 minutes had passed back in the blink of an eye.
At the heart of the production is Michael Grady-Hall's sublime Feste. He is a well-rounded clown with joyous slapstick elements, combining mime, music, and audience interaction. He delights in breaking the fourth wall. There are a couple of moments where a large switch drops down from above and he asks the audience in a panto-esque style if he should pull it which often creates a moment of hilarity with the lights. There is even an interval section where he is getting audience members to toss a ball around to each other.
Grady-Hall sets a real light tone with the buffoonery which is well contrasted against the more serious elements of the piece with loss and separation a key theme in the play. Freema Agyeman's Olivia is rightly somber before she flourishes in the presence of Cesario. Agyeman pitches the role just right. Bally Gill offers a good Duke Orsino, matching well with Agyeman and Keyworth.
Another contrast to the fool is the drunks. Joplin Sibtain is a cracking Sir Toby Belch, his drunken behaviour is so believable you want to reach out and help him mend his ways and pull him away from the bottle. Together with Demetri Goritsas's Sir Andrew Aguecheek, there is much sloshing and frivolity. Their behaviour is paired down here though, not too over the top and more real. Daniel Millar's Fabian comes as an important third member of the group and is integral to the plotting sequences.
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| Demetri Goritsas (Sir Andrew Aguecheek), Joplin Sibtain (Sir Toby Sibtain) and Daniel Millar (Fabian). Photo by Helen Murray. |
Samuel West anticipates returning to the RSC as Malvolio. He masters every emotion of the role. From the pompous steward who is tricked into believing that Olivia has fallen in love with him. He makes a hilarious entrance in the famous yellow stockings and cross garters. He slides down a fireman's police and has the audience in stitches. That switches in the play's final moments as the plotting against him is revealed and his touching "I'll be revenged" is delivered with sincerity and soul that you can't help but feel deep sympathy for him.
Away from the hilarious elements of the production is plenty of heart and feeling. This is felt the most in a heartfelt emotional reunion scene between Keyworth's Viola and Rhys Rusbatch's Sebastian. It rounds off the production with a real sense of warmth that is perfect for this time of year.
James Cotterill's visual design is striking including the ingenious use of an organ and its pipes which makes great effect as the plotters watch Malvolio read the faked letter from Olivia. Paired together with Zoe Spurr's lighting with helps shift the tone from the more comedic to the more serious.
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| Michael Grady-Hall as Feste. Photo by Helen Murray. |
Matt Maltese's musical score is gorgeous, with beautiful motifs mixing with Shakespeare's own music. The original Christmas song sung by Toby Belch in the raucous drunken scene matches well and is sung with a punch by the cast.
Adding some clever creatives and a strong ensemble cast this is a Twelfth Night that simply is perfect Shakespearean viewing for the festive season. Heartfelt and hilarious, packed with comfort and joy. One not to miss.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Twelfth Night runs at the Royal Shakespeare Company until Saturday 18th January 2025. Tickets are available https://www.rsc.org.uk/
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