Theatre Group trip to Twelfth Night at the Barbican

This RSC production was glorious. Of course, every director wants to bring something new to a timeless work and in this case, it was done by enhancing the role of the Fool, Feste, who joked, pantomime fashion, with the audience across the production (with comments such as: ‘Oh well, we got a better reaction to that one in Stratford’) and throwing balls back and forth with people in the front row. Another novel feature was Curio as organist, for much of the play with his back to us, and in 1950s tatty Fair Isle cardigan and comb-over hair (why like this who knows, but it worked!) providing brilliant moments through sham intoxication, sound effects, spot-on timing and just the right organ tone at just the right moment.

None of these shenanigans seemed out of place. And despite this playing around, the dialogue was true. None of Shakespeare’s glorious words were lost. One forgets just how many now commonplace sayings came from his pen, such as, from Twelfth Night, ‘If music be the food of love, play on’ and ‘Some are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them’.

When the mood required serious consideration, it was there in full measure. It brought a tear to the eye when Viola realised that her twin brother Sebastian was still alive and they met again (both thought the other lost at sea). Similarly, when the tragi-comedic character Malvolio realised that he had been made a fool of by the rumbustious Sir Toby Belch, he came to the front of the stage pointing malevolently at the audience and cursing each and every one of us for laughing at him. We all felt it. You could have heard a pin drop.

The play also came across as very fresh and thoroughly modern, not least because of its gently gender-bending themes. Olivia falls in love with Viola, disguised as a male, and Orsino is also guiltily attracted to the same camouflaged Viola. But it all works out fine when Olivia ends up with Viola’s identical but male twin Sebastian and Orsino and Olivia pair up after she reveals her true gender.

What a lovely afternoon out. Thank you RSC!

Contributed by Clive Nash