‘Twelfth Night’ review
‘virtues which abound throughout, and promise…a series of entertained audiences the country wide.’
Perhaps the foremost burden of Castle’s annual tour is the crushing weight of Shakespeare productions come before. It's been a moderate while since Shakespeare’s newest output, and rumblings are quiet of any immediate releases. So, for companies such as CTC, the challenge is to make old plays new, and in this regard, the cast and crew of Tour 2025 are undoubtedly successful. It transports you to a sun-soaked Adriatic paradise despite the Durham overcast and CONSTANT drilling in the distance, rivalling the construction by building their own magical world.
I’ll start with the play’s musical facet. Organised by Musical Director Dan Hicks, it’s a big, beautiful soup of talent. Everyone has a role to play and plays it exceptionally well. I think it could be utilised more consistently throughout the production and a bit less heavily at the end, but the arrangements themselves are stunning and can’t help but have you smiling along. More on specificities later…
The acting is superb all round. Bethan Avery is brilliant in her intensity as Maria, fighting innumerable tasks as both character and prime audience interactor, and coming up victorious each time, providing a perennially entertaining show every time she’s on stage. In this regard she’s rivalled by Charlie Holliday who, as the acerbic, silky Olivia, is simply brilliant throughout, from moments of flirtatious charm to awkward horror. Every glance is perfect in timing and intensity; each confession feels genuine and each snipe derisive.
Ollie Cochran perhaps brings the most immediate energy to a production that, by the nature of its modest audio-visual context, demands it. He’s hilarious throughout, and his melodramatic style fits his character and the production perfectly. Jonas Stringer, again his sidekick, thrives in his comedic role, foiling Cochran’s exaggerated macho with brilliant physical and vocal flamboyance.
Max Hildred swaggers as the love struck Orsino, commanding his scenes with such effortless charisma, never having to stretch or clasp for a stage presence that comes so naturally. His characterisation of Orsino is subtle but never detracts from the energy: rather, it diversifies it, providing sufficient troughs of silky, underspoken ruminations for the melodramatic subplot to shine, but not overwhelm. He also makes me wish I’d taken up the sax along with the drums; it made a truly beautiful addition.
Roxy Toyne’s scene splitting colloquialisms shine throughout, harkening well-earned laughter every other line. Her scene counterparts sometimes struggle to match her sardonic wit; it's so quick, and she makes the most of every moment with biting sardonicism.
Jo Price stands out in a brilliantly expressive performance as the wonderfully grumpy Malvolio. He best unravels Shakespeare's poetic prose, using zealous gesture and an entire vocal range (plus an extra octave or two, it would seem) to ensure that no line’s meaning gets lost in meretricious ambiguity. His comic timing is spectacular and he embraces the absurdity wholeheartedly, making every scene he inhabits eminently watchable. I would mention the duck, but I feel I’ve nothing to add. It speaks for itself.
Michael Nevin is so charming throughout and immediately brings a musical flair as the fool, particularly in his cameo as the illustrious ‘Father Topas’ and in the second half opener with Phoebe Murray. Murray herself is excellent as Viola and her alter ego, Cesario, imbuing her role with an infectious, happy-go-lucky energy that festers comedy without losing empathy. Largely, Murray is exceptional and carries her leading role with grace, charisma and a nuance that is so easy to abandon in Shakespearian comedy.
Charlie Moscrop stars as Sebastian, both charming and hysterical in equal measure. In particular, his comic physical timing shines, pausing and striking precisely when it’s called for. We only wish we could have seen more of him. Dammit Bill …
His scene partner, Ed Clark, brings perhaps the most emotive and touching performance of the whole show. His costume also slays, for what it’s worth. Were I taller I’d have bid for the trousers: the shells!
The production design in totality is minimalist but all the more effective for it, each bit of flair in costume and stage furniture (the pop-up tunnel chief among them) subsequently more impactful. Indeed, this represents one facet of Henry Skinner’s direction; the other imbues every scene with passion and free-spiritedness. Despite having no “stage” in the traditional sense, his blocking is both pragmatic and visionary. Particular highlights include the scene ‘In The Night Garden’, with heads popping up in sequence like whack-a-moles, and the various hilarious water pistol fights with their … symbolic undertones.
Moreover, the choice to include colloquial interludes, both musical and non, is inspired. This kind of thing can so easily go wrong - become kitsch, and undermine the tone and immersion - but here they only elucidate to the final product, grounding the absurd plot and airy prose with something immediately accessible. My only point for improvement is a slightly banal one: I think the interval could have been done in a more imaginative way. In a play with so many student ‘written’ interludes which fit so well, it seemed such a missed opportunity to just announce it outside the diegesis. Nevertheless, this didn’t discolour the play’s many other virtues which abound throughout, and promise, with the natural tightening and developing that comes with time and performance, a series of entertained audiences the country wide.
By Raish Holloway.
Twelfth Night is showing on Wednesday 18th, and Thursday 19th June at Master’s Garden (Castle).