“Twelfth Night” or, “What You Will”
Greenwich Theatre,
January 17 - 21, 2012

The bard back in Greenwich!

Men dressed as women, women dressed as men, mistaken identity, coincidence and chance. Elizabethan humour does not always translate, modern day audiences too sophisticated for farce. But the new Movement Theatre presses on undeterred, making the most of a poor plot and bringing the humour to life.

Written in 1601, Twelfth Night is the third (after Much Ado and As You Like It) and last of Shakespeare’s so-called, “mature” comedies, outwardly comic pieces but with darker undertones attached. While it begins fairly brightly - the good Duke of Orsino (Ellis Wells) courting the fair Countess Olivia (Georgia Clarke-Day) – she rejects his advances, overwhelmed as she is by her brother’s recent death. Darkness strikes once more as the young maiden Viola, thrown up on the shore, sees her own brother drowned, lost in a storm.

Only when Viola dresses up as a man, - to gain advancement at court – does the Shakespearean comedy finally flow, Malvolio’s (Ben Blyth) haughty monologues confirming the lighter tone. For a while thereafter, the comedy continues, Orsino’s disrobing before a startled Viola, Malvolio’s wooing, - complete with culottes and garters - of a bewildered Olivia, two knights of the realm, Toby Belch (Tom Hartill) and Andrew Aguecheek (Laurie Caldwell), barely concealed in the woods, but soon the dark themes return to put an end to the fun; that love can cause suffering, Olivia describing her love as a “plague”, the folly of ambition or the collapse of the mind.

The Movement’s second production (their inaugural tour with The Tempest just completed) is vibrant and fun but carefully balances the contrasting themes. The direction (Rory Attwood) is good, the (minimalist) staging - Christmas trees and leaves - effective and, perhaps best of all, the acting first rate. Ellis Wells in particular is especially strong, relaxed in his role and compelling to watch, his exchanges with Viola – sassily played by a promising Sarah Winter – refreshingly new. Ben Blyth’s steward Malvolio is not far behind, his delivery clear, his articulation tight as he delicately solicits both our pity and disdain.

Were these dark seated elements simply reflecting the age – a cold winter, Queen Bess dying (heirless), religious civil war looming near – or more simply a function of the author’s state of mind, the tragic loss of his son (leaving a twin sister bereft) still fresh in his mind? No matter the answer, it’s an enjoyable night out.

Highly competent. 7/10. DM
January 2012