Twelfth Night Review

Old Vic Theatre, London
Propeller Theatre Company

The problem with seeing a brilliant show by a company is that you go into the next expecting more brilliance. Twelfth Night, Propeller Theatre Company’s new show is amazing (they did Taming of the Shrew last year – see my review in November 06), but I was less moved than with Shrew. I didn’t connect with the lead characters of Viola / Cesario (Tam Williams) and Olivia (Dugald Bruce-Lockhart).

The same set was used effectively again (multifunctional oversized wardrobes and chairs), with a welcome addition of green box trees. These were most effectively used in the scene where Malvolio is set up.

Costumes were contemporary and monochrome black to white (perhaps a purposeful contrast to Shrew). Of notable exception was Malvolios yellow garters, revealed to the audience Full Monty style – trousers ripped off with lewd gestures.

Propeller excels at using music, not just during scene changes, but as an emotive undercurrent throughout the text. Of special note in Twelfth Night was the continual eerie humming from cast members, and the final song by Feste (Tony Bell);
“A great while ago the world begun
With hey ho, the wind and the rain
But that’s all one, our play is done
And we’ll strive to please you.”
Its haunting melody gave me goose bumps, and ended the production on a melancholy note.

The use of stationary observers (the cast in masks) on stage was also eerie. I wasn’t sure of the purpose, but it gave a surreal, non naturalistic feel to the production.

Standouts included Tony Bell as melancholy Feste, Jason Baughan as Sir Toby Belch, and Simon Scardifield as Sir Andrew Agucheeck (completely different to his Kate).

A disappointing performance from Tam Willams as Viola/Cesario. His emotional journey and love distress did not carry to the circle (where I sat), although his reunion with his brother Sebastian (Joe Flynn) was poignant.
“I should my tears let fall upon your cheek / And say ‘thrice welcome, drowned Viola’”

This is a play for hopeless romantics. Olivia loves Cesario (who is really Viola); Viola loves Orsino (who loves Olivia), Viola and Sebastian love each other but think the other dead. According to the text everyone ends up with the right person. The tone of this twelfth night however, makes me think Ed Hall (Director), has had a few too many broken hearts. It was brilliantly melancholy, wry, subdued and haunting.

“If this were played upon a stage now, I could wonder it as an improbably fiction.”