Jack Studio Theatre – until 1 February 2020
Reviewed by Claire Roderick
3***
Yard Players return to the Jack Studio Theatre with this rather subdued production of Twelfth Night. The promise of a modern setting shown with an immediate technology gag is never followed up, but seems to just serve as a method to replace exposition and minor characters with a glimpse at a mobile phone.
The ridiculous cross-dressing and cross-gartered plot remains intact, with shipwrecked Viola dressing as a young man and calling herself Cesario to enter the court of Count Orsino and wooing the Lady Olivia for him. Olivia falls for Cesario, who is in love with Orsino, who in turn is developing feelings for his young servant. Meanwhile Olivia’s uncle, Toby Belch, and maid Maria plot revenge against pompous steward Malvolio for his attitude towards them, aided by Olivia’s foolish suitor Aguecheek. The arrival of Sebastian, Viola’s twin brother who she believes dead, creates more comic confusion and chaos before Shakespeare ties everything up neatly, pairing up lovers for a happy ending.
The simple set and unobtrusive music and sound keeps the focus on the actors, and director James Eley has cut characters to create a streamlined and fast-paced play. This means there is no Feste with his world-weary words of wisdom, and instead Maria voices his and Fabian’s lines as the plot against Malvolio and duel with Cesario unfold. For me, this made Maria seem much more vindictive and manipulative, rather than sharp-witted and mischievous- especially with Heloise Spring’s sneering and lairy interpretation. Pete Picton impresses as Toby Belch, with a bottle in every pocket, but the pair are made so unlikable in order to present the heavy handed acknowledgement that what they do to Malvolio is unimaginably cruel that lots of the comedy is lost. Luckily Duncan Dury as Aguecheek never fails to deliver big laughs when he is onstage with them. Daniel Chrisostomou is a very sympathetic Malvolio, and Olivia Price and Duncan Dury nail the self-entered points scoring relationship between Olivia and Orsino. Their courts wear different coloured lanyards, whether this is a comment on identity or their business rivalry is unclear. James Viller is great fun as Orsino’s frustrated servant Valentine, and wide-eyed and confused as the fickle Sebastian, while Jessica Kinsey is a quietly passionate but melancholic Viola.
The downbeat ending, with the twins gradually realising they are just trophies in the nobles’ shallow game is satisfying, but perhaps would have been more effective if the rest of the plot had been played with a lighter comic touch.
It’s worth a visit to the Jack to see this well-meaning and reflective adaptation of Twelfth Night, but this approach obscures the playful joy of Shakespeare’s comedy.