Review Of Twelfth Night At Nottingham Playhouse

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Writer Ian Douglas enjoys a saucy Elizabethan rom-com.

Cross-dressing, capoeria, and coconuts, what’s not to love in the latest production of Shakespeare’s famous comedy?

The artistic sense of direction behind the scenery belongs to acclaimed director Paulette Randall, on a return visit to the Playhouse. Paulette’s CV includes television programmes like Little Miss Jocelyn and the children’s hit series Kerching! So watching her take on Shakespeare is worth braving the October gloom in itself.

When Viola utters her opening line ‘what country friends is this?’ the answer is Brazil, complete with palm trees, faded colonial mansion and a tropical storm raging over the sound system. Paulette has transferred old Bill’s mythical kingdom of Illyria to a beach outside the South American city of Salvador.

Brazil, with its African descendants from the Portuguese slave trade, is an inspired choice for the black cast. And these hard working and engaging actors build up a workmanlike performance upon the Brazilian concept.

Viola and Sebastian, near identical brother and sister, are separated in a shipwreck. Viola decides to dress up as a boy, like you do, setting off a chain of gender-bending consequences, not only for her, but also for the Illyrians. Local aristo Olivia, thinking Viola is all man, fancies her rotten. Orsino, a towering hunk of a man, finds himself strangely attracted to his new best mate.

Sebastian meanwhile, is not at all dead, as Viola believes. He has been rescued by a gay sailor (was that really in our English Lit schoolbook editions? how did we miss that one?) who falls hopelessly in love with him. By one of those coincidences even Shakespeare depended on, Sebastian just happens to be wearing a dapper suit identical to that of his missing sister. Even down to the straw trilby. Right, you can see where this is going!

Meanwhile Olivia’s cronies get up to no good forging a love letter in her name and addressing it to her pompous ass of a servant, Malvolio. Scarcely able to contain his excitement he throws himself at his noble mistress, an event that reaps lots of laughs from the audience but destroys him. His yellow stockings and garters were a hoot too.

And then… well let’s not give the plot away. But these lively shenanigans had the audience in stitches.

Among the cast Marcus Powell was suitably foolish as Malvolio, reducing the stalls to giggles simply by pulling a face. Nicholai La Barrie made a nimble-footed Sir Andrew Aguecheek. Viola, dressed up in men’s togs, made a fetching sight, no wait, wasn’t that Sebastian?

The glimpses of a Brazilian martial art called capoeria were impressive and the cast ended with a rousing singsong, belting out a ditty entitled ‘Rain’. Leaving the auditorium for the autumnal streets of Nottingham seemed quite the comedown after a night in steamy Brazil.

Ian Douglas

www.iandouglas-writer.co.uk

Twelfth Night is showing from Fri 24th Sept to Sat Oct 16th.

For tickets call the Playhouse Box office on 0115 9419419 or book online.www.nottinghamplayhouse.co.uk