Twelfth Night

Melbourne Shakespeare Company has long been curating an image of thoughtful, playful and highly accessible music inspired performances of Shakespeare plays. Over time this oeuvre has increasingly paid off, and in this production of Twelfth Night it has reached a truly impressive zenith. The music remains in the style of a capella and the songs remain excellent choices to highlight the emotions of the characters and advance and clarify the narrative. The performances are not only vibrant and energetic but greater emphasis has been placed on employing performers with excellent vocal and musical talent.

Part of what makes the productions so accessible is MSC’s use of character name labels as part of the costuming. This is a very useful device for complicated plots and for when performers are playing more than one part. In this production even this element (normally taken for granted) is also infused with the overall tongue in cheek tone of the performance. Labels are especially used with irony in the moments of revelation which help to both clarify and accentuate the “surprise” element.

The production has strong ensemble performances, each cast member is incredibly cohesive in tone and style, and this is part of what makes this production so outstanding. The complicated love triangles are beautifully reinforced with the excellent musical performances but also the clarity of facial and bodily gestures. The timing and pace of the action is very carefully crafted and executed and this helps to highlight the humour. It also makes the misunderstandings and the general mayhem often hysterical. Stephanie Astrid John as Viola is exquisite; her transformation into Cesario is made convincing while also always playfully drawing attention to the disguise.

Laura Iris Hill as Malvolio is a real coup for this show. She plays head housekeeper with all the bitterness and menace of Mrs Danvers in Rebecca (Alfred Hitchcock 1940). Making Malvolio a woman also cleverly echoes the homosexual undertones that are present in the text. Hill’s treatment of the moments when she imagines her mistress, Olivia (Claire Warrillow), is in love with her is conducted with both relish and conviction and this is one of the great highlights of the show.

The setting in the Rose Garden is wonderfully evocative of the romantic nature of the story and this is beautifully mirrored in the incredibly apt lyrics of the songs. The simplicity of the set is supported by some excellent staging, which fully exploits the location, and is combined with perfectly timed slapstick humour as well as colourful props and costuming.

This is an absolutely delightful production which captures the spirit, flavour and style of Shakespeare with imagination and flair. It is also a production which is clearly informed by a rich understanding of the text and employs a highly respectful approach when it modernises or contextualises the story. Melbourne Shakespeare Company has produced a Twelfth Night which is refreshing, very amusing, highly entertaining, and simply a sheer delight to witness.

Patricia Di Risio 

Photographer: Nick Robertson from NickMickPics.