Rehearsal Blog 3 & 4

18.5.09 – Full run, take 1…with children!

Well, tonight was one of the first real chances to put the whole show together and it actually looked pretty impressive. It was great to see it all taking shape. The funny thing was listening to us sing louder and louder as we certainly did not want to be outshone by the lovely little children. Unfortunately I think we failed as they are truly fantastic and make a fab sound even whilst dancing!! I think I should ask them for some tips.

Embarrassingly I nearly cried at one of our more sombre moments but it just shows how our show can change from one minute to the next. It really makes you imagine what it must have been like and ‘Parting’ truly is a beautiful and touching scene.

Had a really fun night tonight and feel quite excited about doing it for real. Hopefully our mystery illness won’t take anyone else down and Moize will get her voice back (fingers crossed…we need you!)

 

19.5.09 – Band call!

Another great night tonight, you can sense we are all feeling a little bit tired and slight hysteria may be setting in but hearing the band certainly seemed to up moral and put a spring in our step. It sounds like a few more voices may be disappearing so we may need a big batch of honey and lemon (or brandy) to get us through!!

Everything seems to be in place now and as long as I remember to dive forwards fast enough to make it in time for ‘All Over the Place’, I reckon I’ve got it sorted.

Tomorrow is our dress rehearsal and I imagine it will all start to feel very real. Sleep seems like a good idea to me now, need to prepare for the long (and very exciting) few days ahead of me. It really has been a good laugh and lots of fun to work with everyone on this!!

Reviews of The White Crow

Read the reviews of Twelfth Night below or alternately leave your own review in the comments section at the bottom of the page!

Real Theatre Blog – Review by Jane Williamson

Damian Cruden, director of White Crow, says that in staging Donald Freed’s play he wanted to use sound and space to bring the audience closer to the story of the Nazi criminal Adolf Eichmann’s trial in Israel in 1961. By manipulating the small, intimate atmosphere of York Theatre Royal’s Studio Space and combining it with imaginative set and sound design, the production is both mesmerizing and thought provoking, moving away from the perhaps expected sentimentality to a mature consideration of the question of guilt and responsibility.

The first act takes place within an enclosed office where policeman Dr Baum is questioning Eichmann in preparation for his trial. Their exchange is picked up by a microphone in the middle of the office and recorded for authenticity and this is what the audience hears. This highly naturalistic staging forces the audience to question their relationship to the seemingly isolated pair. In the second act, the walls are removed, opening the room out until Eichmann and Baum are less than a metre away from the audience. This forceful contrast heightens audience reaction to an almost painful point – as Eichmann strides around refusing to admit to his obvious part in the Final Solution and questioning the motives of his captors, you can feel those in the front row instinctively trying to move further away from him.

Characterisation of Eichmann is cleverly constructed to make the audience continually reassess their perception of the SS Colonel who insists he was ‘Only following orders’. Robert Pickavance produces a controlled and thoughtful performance, careful never to tip the balance in favour of outright evil or vulnerable victim in creating a man determined to avoid becoming a scapegoat. The enigmatic Dr Baum is movingly and sympathetically portrayed by Sonia Petrovna, creating the perfect foil to Pickavance as she tries to find a shred of humanity in Eichmann.

Craig Vear’s accompanying soundtrack is at times seamlessly integrated into the performance but at others an unnecessary emphasis. In keeping with the naturalistic style, it is drawn from sound effects and simple notes rather than mood music. The sound of trains and of Hitler’s speeches are used to remind the audience of the world away from the interrogation cell, but the menacing drones underpinning some of Eichmann’s more prophetic words are overdone. This audience needs no reminding of the constant evil hovering in the room, trying to find one of the pair to settle upon.

The White Crow explores complex questions and is a fine example of how the possibilities of theatre can be explored and crafted into a meaningful audience experience.

The Stage – Review by Kevin Berry

In 1960 the Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann was found in Argentina and spirited away to Jerusalem to stand trial. He had planned the sending of millions of Jews to the death camps.

Donald Freed’s new play imagines a confrontation between Eichmann, an extraordinary performance from Robert Pickavance, and Dr Miriam Baum, an Israeli psychologist played with barely suppressed emotion by Sonia Petrovna. She wants some kind of remorse from him, a spark of humanity, but he answers her probing with unshakable reasoning.

Dr Baum prepares an impassioned plea to David Ben- Gurion, the Israeli prime minister, to keep Eichmann alive. He will be a living witness of the Holocaust.

The first half has the two actors inside an office which is walled on all sides. During the interval the walls are taken away and the furniture is spread out. The audience are now inside the office with the protagonists. Their sparring is ready for flash points.

A soundtrack from Craig Vear makes a valuable contribution. It has trains bound for the death camps, marching soldiers, speeches from Hitler and is played as if in the haunting distance.

Damian Cruden’s measured direction allows the pressure to simmer and steam without exactly bursting. His actors respond magnificently. The moments of stubborn refusal from the one, of helpless exasperation from the other, are the meat of this play.

Alas, The White Crow is not going out on tour. That is a puzzle and a great pity.

Twelfth Night – Joseph Rowntree Reviews

Twelfth Night is a really amazing performance! Despite the old fashioned language and it being hard to understand at times, it really is a great show. It’s very funny and your guaranteed to be laughing! It really is worthwhile going to see. 

 Leanne Moore

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York Theatre Royals “must see” production of Shakespeare’s classic was a creative piece with a brilliant cast. The play deals with mistaken identity and confusion which was rather comic and the characters portrayed this well. Danielle King (playing Viola) was packed full of talent, her ability to play a very flexible role was excellent and the character was 100% there, 100% of the time. She was perfect as the lead role. We see Jacqueline Wood as Maria who a mischeivous and cheeky character who controls and commands at Malvolio and Sir Andrew Aguecheek played by Paul Westward, a true entertainer and comedian who also portrays the characters emotions perfectly. 

This production makes use of multimedia piece at the start, showing a shipwreck. This is projected on a sheet with two men either side pulling to add the extra effect. However I think that you go to the theatre to see it live not to watch something that’s has been recorded before hand. Nevertheless I think that it worked well with this particular piece because it was a short amount of time and it simply set the scene creatively. This couldn’t be portrayed as well on the stage because it is hard to do it professionally. The actually set itself was simple but sometimes more is less. It again works because it is flexible and allows us to image several scene’s not just one.  

This is an extremely successful piece from the York Theatre Royal; the characters particularly make this piece for me. I think they were all excellent and showed a range of emotions reflecting the character brilliantly. I think Shakespeare is rather hard to understand particularly for younger people but the characters were so clear I and everyone else who saw it understood it. I thought the set and costume really reflect the mood and tone of piece brilliantly.

This is one production Shakespeare would be proud of! 

Kyasha Popely

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Let’s cut to the chase – there is only really one negative thing about this play: the language. Despite the fact that this play is hard to understand for a modern-day teenager (or for anyone unfamiliar with little knowledge Elizabethan language) it has modern-day humour. You do not need to understand the language to understand the play, because this comes across in the acting – which, of course, is what a good production should be like. All three actresses were very good, especially Danielle King, who plays Viola. She fitted into the role perfectly. The actors were good too, although sometimes a little loud for the scenes where they were all drunk. However, their on-stage instruments were amazing! The music really added a lot of character to the show; it was the best part. Not only were Ian Harris and Paul Westwood good actors, they are also very talented musicians. Another amazing scene when Orsino had a shower on the stage, and it was great how it was done – it was quite clever. To be brutally honest, the play didn’t look as good in the brochure as it actually was. I did not think I would actually enjoy Twelfth Night; I couldn’t have been more wrong – it was a very entertaining night. Thank you, York Theatre Royal! 

Megan Dale

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Oliver Addison  

Juliet Forster has created a superb comedy for the whole family to enjoy. Its main plot is about surviving a shipwreck, from which the two main survivors think that other one of them is dead. From then on the plot thickens as Viola (Danielle King) settles in looking exactly like their brother, who was the other main survivor of the wreck, as a page for Duke Orisno (Sam Hazeldine). Viola, now known as Cesario, is given the task of rallying back and forth between the Duke and Olivia (Jade Anouka). When her brother, Sebastian (Jack Ashton), arrives on dry land he gets mistaken for Cesario, who is Viola in disguise, and then everything take a turn for the worse for the twins. 

The second plot is about Olivia’s steward Malvolio (Dick Bradnum), who is tricked by Olivia’s uncle, Sir Toby Belch (Blair Plant), her servant, Maria (Jacqueline Wood), and Sir Andrew Aguecheek (Paul Westwood) who are all plotting against Malvolio. 

The music being played by the characters is not something I have seen before in theatre, so I believed it worked really well. Richard G Jones has captured the atmosphere radiantly with his attention to detail on with the lights. The characters themselves were well thought out by the actors, who played them very well indeed. It was very easy to empathise with them and Malvolio’s snobbishness was truly hilarious. 

I would definitely recommend going to experience this magnificent production; it is truly a brilliantly directed play. It’s a pity that William Shakespeare himself couldn’t be here to witness this dazzling performance… 

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Twelfth Night is probably THE MOST confusing play that Shakespeare ever wrote. If any-one asks you to explain the plot, DON’T. Don’t even try. It would be quicker to sit them down in front of a TV and make them watch it on DVD (or at the theatre for that matter). All of which must make it so frustrating for a director – getting the balance right for the play must be so hard. It has to be simple enough so that it’s easy enough to understand but not so simple so that it loses its effect. I have to say that it got the balance very nearly spot on. It was a little confusing at the beginning (Shakespeare English didn’t help) but that’s to be expected, it’s not possible to make it immediately obvious to the audience which character is which.  

The set was very simple (in a good way), it didn’t get in the way of the acting at all and was used very well. The lighting was brilliant; with different colours and shades telling you where you where on the island of Illyria, where the story is set. For example, Orsino’s court was a slightly different colour to Olivia’s; only a subtle difference but obvious enough so that you noticed it and that it helped a little bit. The film introduction was well done from the filming point of view and was a good idea but it was confusing and you could have done with-out it.  

The music in the play was superb, the on-stage violinist and flute-player harmonized beautifully and the music really helped portray the mood of the scene. All the actors performed wonderfully but the one that really stood out for me was Dick Brandnum as Marvolio, Olivia’s butler. To sum the character and the performance of the character up I would say that he was a wonderfully perfectly brilliant snob. Even though I didn’t understand a lot of the words because of it being Shakespeare English, the actors really put across what the words are supposed to mean and because of that I got a lot more of the jokes than I thought I would. I could go on and on and on about how brilliant the actors were but I would never stop. A truly great show all around. 

Mark Thompson

Twelfth Night – Canon Lee Reviews

I didn’t know much about the plot of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night before I watched the play, and as it was one of his more complicated pieces I found it quite difficult to follow what was going on until some time into the play. Despite this, my attention was held upon the stage throughout because the performances from the actors were all of a very high standard, and I could see what each character was like from their expressions and movements when I couldn’t comprehend the language. 

The part I enjoyed the most was the scene in which Malvolio read the fake letter. The movements of the three other characters in the background were perfectly choreographed, which made it exciting and entertaining to watch. Dick Brandum’s performance as Malvolio stood out to me as being particularly good because his movements and facial expressions always made the audience laugh. 

The only problem I found with the play was the lighting – occasionally it was too dim to see the facial expressions of the actors clearly, which was important to those who couldn’t grasp the Shakespearean language. The short film showing the shipwreck at the beginning had a brilliant effect, and struck me as being a fantastic way to introduce media into a theatrical performance. 

Laura Brookshaw

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By Melissa Blyth-Bristow

Ambassador at Canon Lee School 

When Viola (Danielle King) and Sebastian (Jack Ashton) are separated in a shipwreck, both are saved by different people and assume that the other is dead. Viola takes on the role of male Cesario, servant to Orsino (Sam Hazledine). She falls in love with her master, who is in love with another lady, Olivia (Jade Anouka). When Cesario is sent to Olivia with a message from Orsino, Olivia falls for Cesario. On Sebastian’s arrival, Olivia mistakes him for Cesario and proposes their marriage. Upon Cesario’s revelation as Viola, Orsino falls in love with her, and the twins are reunited. 

The technical side to this play was excellent especially the Flautist and Violinist, who played many different pieces, live on stage with fluency. 

At the beginning there was a multimedia scene for the ship wreck which was very well shown and it fitted in with that scene. This is a new perspective on Shakespeare which had never been done before but was adapted to this play very well.

The highlights of this play were the comical scenes, in which although Shakespearian, the Director (Juliet Forster) has obviously tried to make it appeal to the modern day audience. When the actors are performing not only in these scenes but others too, you could see that they put all their effort into what they are doing and have got their mind set on making the play a success.

Shakespearian language requires a high level of concentration and therefore, particularly for the younger audience, if the actors would slow down and speak clearly, it would help them to be better understood. 

To conclude, I would recommend this play to older audiences who are familiar with Shakespeare’s work. The language was hard for a child to understand, but overall the play was interesting and funny in parts.

Twelfth Night – All Saints Reviews

Twelfth night is a tale of romance, mistaken identity, love, humour and confusion. With original live music and fantastic vocals, Twelfth Night has elements of a musical. Directed by Juliet Forster and written by William Shakespeare, Twelfth Night is a classic.

 It begins with the illusion of a violent storm and this is shown using a new element that has been intorduced to thatre, multimedia. Identical twins Viola and Sebastian, are separated in the storm and are washed onto the the shores of Illyria. Viola then disguises herself as as a boy and this results in serving the eye catching Duke, Orsino and then falls for him. Viola cleverly declares to the audience, “What will become of this?” To the audience her fate is unknown and as the story unravells, it becomes clear. However, Orsino only has eyes for Lady Olivia and sends Viola to woo her on his behalf, she then falls for Viola, unknowing the true identity that lies beneath the masculine looking  exterior. 

 To soften the play, Shakespeare used his sly wit in the form of his characters. He uses an irishman who loves to sing, a serious, eager to please welshman,a dim knight, a talented Violinist, a loud drunk and a giddy housekeeper. 

 With exceptional acting, Twelfth Night is of best quality and easy to watch. The set is cleverly used and the music adds a little something extra. Twelfth Night is a lighthearted play full of humour and brilliant acting, it is a definate one to watch. 

 Aimee Taylor

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The admired Shakespearian play, Twelfth Night, is brought once again to the theatre stage. Romance, comedy and deception all play their part in making this play a wonder to watch. We follow the story of young Viola, who is shipwrecked and separated from her twin brother after being washed ashore from a terrible storm. Disguising herself as a boy, she sets out working in the Duke’s court, but things become complicated when a certain Lady Olivia takes third base in the love triangle. 

Firstly, congratulations must be made to the talented director Juliet Forster, for taking on such a popular performance and making it her own. The dreamlike perception was successfully achieved with the setting, eccentric characters and the emotions portrayed. Wonderful stage use and almost perfect acting are praise for both director and performers.

The woman of the night was most defiantly Danielle King, who gave a flawless performance as Viola. Speech was masterfully spoken with such a natural conviction, and her acting skills were simply stunning; a credit to Shakespeare.

In particular, the attention to detail was very remarkable; the stage being equipped with working shower, just for starters. But it was the circumference of real sand that impressed the most and how it was delicately used in the performance. Also, the setting was practical yet beautifully presented and in addition to the lighting, the stage was set alight with realistic sunsets. 

Comedy was the plays main calling with laughs and sniggers making frequent appearances. A hilarious hiding sequence and eccentric comic characters were cause enough for hysterics from the audience. Finally, the live musicians throughout brought a whole new feel to the play. A violin, flute and ukelele are all you need to create atmosphere and musical comedy moments. Live singing also took part, mainly from Feste, who’s singing from he heart reflects on all the other characters, accentuating the emotion on stage. 

Picking at the negative, at the start of the performance it was very easy to get lost. Not knowing who’s who or what’s what. But after a while you become engrossed with the story and the Shakespeare translator in your brain kicks in, so that now you understand where it’s going

Overall, a beautifully entrancing version of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night; perfect for fans or anyone looking for cheerful and romantic show. Skilled acting and a wonderful atmosphere are just what is needed for a great night out.  Showing from Saturday 25^th April to Saturday 16^th May, day and night, don’t miss out.                 

Or what you will…             

 Zoe Dziemianko

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Twelfth night is a Shakespeare play about a twin brother and sister who get washed up and separated on an island. In this play the sister, who is called Viola, dresses up as a boy because in those times it was bad for a girl to wonder around alone. As the play goes on viola starts to fall in love with Orsino, the duke of the Illyria, who Viola works for. At this point Countess Olivia has fallen in love with Viola because she looks like her brother Sebastian. 

In Twelfth night I personally enjoyed the parts with sir tony Belch (played by Blair Plant), Sir Andrew Aguecheek (Paul Westwood), Malvino (Dick Bradnum) and Feste (Colm Gormley) in because they made me laugh and they made the play exiting.

I think all of the actors were very good for what they did and I could see most of them doing bigger things. Feste (Colm Gormley) had a very good singing voice and Fabian (Ian Harris) and curio (Dan Willis) were very good at the instruments they played. The actors in this play were very good at showing emotions and acting very seriously and dramatic.

In the play some of the actors were doing Elizabethan language and others were sometimes sounding too modern.

I would recommend twelfth night to people 13 and over because you need to be able to understand the language and how they speak however this play was, in my opinion, very easy to follow and understand.

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The production of Twelfth Night at York Theatre Royal is a resounding success and triumphantly pulls off the difficult feat of making this well known classic play fresh and original.

The play got off to an exciting start with a vivid and unusual representation of the shipwreck which made the audience feel part of the action through the use of film projection. It was a risky idea that could have undermined sense of theatre but thanks to the great music and choreography it was a fantastic success, plunging the audience straight into the world of the shipwrecked Viola. 

The acting throughout the play was superb. Danielle King gave a very compelling performance as Viola, whose headstrong will and brilliant impersonation skills won the audience’s heart.  Sam Hazeldine as the Duke captured the day dreaming quality of Orsino wonderfully well. Blair Plant and Paul Westwood were Sir Toby Belch and Sir Andrew Aguecheek respectively and these essentially comic roles were played with exquisite lightness and style. The comedy was heightened very effectively throughout the play by the stage direction and I defy anyone not to laugh out loud at the spectacle of the eccentric clergyman Master Topaz visiting Malvolio when he was thought to be mad, Sir Toby Belch and his friends watching Malvolio opening his ‘letter’ and of course, at Viola spying on the Duke taking a shower. Malvolio’s vanity and absurdity were splendidly evoked by Dick Bradnum and I especially enjoyed seeing him admire himself using a spoon as a mirror. Olivia was brought to life by Jade Anouka and the way her dress gradually brightened up with pink ribbons as her mood lightened showed an attention to detail in costume that is reflected in every other aspect of this production.

The set, with trapdoors, columns and swing was clearly thought out and used with flair and ingenuity that added to the interest of the action.

It is hard to identify all the ingredients that were combined so successfully to create such a magical performance. One thing is certain however: that it is a winning formula that will have the audience spellbound from start to finish. 

I’d give it 5 stars and I would recommend it to the whole family, however some members might find it a bit confusing as the speech is difficult to follow in certian places, but definitely a family-friendly performance

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Park swings, cross gartered socks and modern day showers; this play has everything.

The story begins with a shipwreck where twin brother Sebastian (Jack Ashton) and sister Viola (Danielle King) are separated in a storm, which is demonstrated perfectly with a miniature film being projected onto an angry sail. Unsuspecting Duke Orsino (Sam Hazeldine) employs Cesario to tell Lady Olivia (Jade Anouka) his love for her. Little does he know Cesario is actually Viola dressed as a man and she is in love with him. Set on making a fool out of Malvolio (Dick Bradnum) – Olivia’s welsh steward, in response to him turning his nose up at them, Sir Toby Belch (Blair Plant) takes advantage of Malvolio’s love for Olivia. This results in getting him dressed up in yellow cross-gartered socks and a rather manic smile on his face, much to Olivia’s distaste and Sir Toby Belch, Sir Andrew Augecheek (Paul Westwood) and Maria’s (Jacqueline Wood) delight. 

But poor Olivia doesn’t realise Viola’s disguise and falls in love with Cesario, which complicates things a bit more but is great fun to watch as this unconventional love triangle evolves. The trapdoors in the stage are put to good use during this play, keeping certain ale bottles hidden and even the odd prisoner. Lady Olivia is played well with great scenes on a swing, which occupies half of the stage whilst the rest is as an old gym, complete with wall bars and a vaulting horse. It is strange how something as simple as lighting can change the mood of the play, taking it from the dead of night to early afternoon. However, this Twelfth Night is not without emotional intensity but it is lightened with superb comedy. Another thing I liked about this play was the Edwardian style costumes but also the added element of period style music which I haven’t encountered in any Shakespearean plays before. 

This comedy is suitable for all ages, you can laugh at it on lots of different levels at the same time, but it can be hard to get into as it is full on Shakespearean language from the start. It starts with a conditional clause for goodness’ sake! In the first half it is very slow paced, the detail immaculate and everything is set out perfectly but in the second half it picks up the pace a little and maybe loses a little of its magic. But it doesn’t matter a great deal, this Twelfth Night is full of charm and wonder; Juliet Forster (Director) deserves every praise, she has envisioned the play beautifully. 

Vanessa Rhodes Bernays,

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“Twelfth Night”, one of Shakespeare’s most musical plays, was brought to the heart of York. Directed perfectly by Juliet Forster, every aspect of this performance was utterly magical.

Olivia, heiress of the enchanting, fictious village of Illyria, is mourning for her brother. Showing her stubborn attitude, she refuses to let Duke Orsino pay court to her.Malvolio, her steward rebukes her Uncle Sir Toby Belch.Sir Andrew is persuading Olivia to marry him however, amongst all this madness, even more occurs in this tiny village. Meanwhile, a ship is wrecked and the young, independent Viola is sadly separated from her twin Brother Sebastian. She thinks he is dead and foolishly disguises herself as a man named “Cesario”. “Cesario” serves duke Orsino, and the duke finds this a way to plead his suit for his one true love, Olivia.

The stage was very compact, but well thought out, suiting each scene perfectly. As the lights dimmed, a terrible storm blew two very talented actors Jack Ashton (playing Sebastian) and mark Theodore (Antonio) onto the stage. The two ended up pulling out boats sail from the set, while the magnificent lighting created a tense atmosphere, showing the rain and thunder of the angry sea. When the boats sail was ready, a video was portrayed onto the sail using over-head projection, showing new multi-media skills. It was unbelievable couldn’t imagine this amount of well-filmed video and effect on stage.

The singing and music was very funny! Ian Harris (Fabian) played his violin fluently and smooth as well as Dan Willis (Curio) playing the flute. However, a comedy twist was about with Feste (Colm GVormley) with his witty Irish singing and playing of the Ukulele! Another thing I enjoyed was the comedy. Jacqueline Wood (Maria) and Dick Brandnum (Malvolio) were the Shakespearean Laurel and Hardy, showing thoughtful, original, witty humour!

Unfortunately, I expected modern day language in stead of Shakespearan.However, it did help me familiarise with the language used in Old England. Also, even though the humour was impeccable, some of it was aimed at adults.

This would be recommended to adults as the humour and language used would make more sense to them rather than children! I would give this a well-deserved…

9.5 out of 10!

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The Shakespearian masterpiece, Twelfth Night, which, as many people will agree with me, is expertly re-created by Juliet Forster and the cast, on all accounts this a must see production as they transport us to the seemingly dream word of Illyria extremely well. Here we find many colourful characters and their problems in their lives. Countess Olivia (Jade Anouka) who mourns for her brother, Duke Orsino (Sam Hazeldine) who pays page to Olivia even though she refuses, Malvolio (Dick Bradnum) her trusted steward who secretly loves her but dares not show it, Sir Andrew (Paul Westwood) her suitor who loves Olivia and pays her uncle Sir Toby (Blair Plant) to persuade her to marry him, not knowing that Sir Toby is tricking him out of his money, Viola (Danielle King) who pretends to be a man named Cesario who is page to Duke Orsino. Viola, in secret loves him but is worried that if she shows him her true self he won’t love her. Viola also knows that Countess Olivia, who both Orsino and Andrew love, loves her. Not knowing that she is a girl and not a boy. What Viola does not know is that her twin brother, Sebastian (Jack Ashton), who she thinks is dead, is in Illyria with his friend (Mark Theodore) the sea captain.

Our story starts with a shipwreck. The young noblewoman Viola is separated from her twin brother. Taking him for dead she travels to where Duke Orsino of Illyria lives and, disguising herself as a man named ‘Cessaro’ she serves him as a page and is told to deliver a message to plead his suit to Countess Olivia, she refuses but is attracted to ‘Cessaro’. Meanwhile Olivia’s steward Malvolio criticizes Sir Toby (Olivia’s uncle) for partying in the night with his friends Sir Andrew, Fabian (Ian Harris) and Feste (Colm Gormley). Unhappy with how Malvolio acts towards them Maria (Jaqueline Wood), Olivia’s maid, and the others forge a love letter to Malvolio from Olivia saying that she would like him to woo her wearing yellow stockings. Malvolio believes that his wishes have been granted as he reads the letter so he follows the letter and is locked up as a madman. Meanwhile Sir Arthur, who is jealous of Olivia’s interest in ‘Cesario’, reluctantly challenges him to a duel. Cesario, who is just as reluctant as Sir Arthur to duel, half-heartedly accepts. In the midst of the duel Antonio bursts in and breaks it up, calling Viola Sebastian and pleading for help in his trial as he is arrested by a nearby officer and dragged off stage. Sebastian is now confused with ‘Cesaro’. When Sebastian fights Sir Toby and Sir Andrew they are stunned when he fights back and injures them both. Later Sebastian is amazed when Olivia calls him ‘Cesaro’ and flirts with him. Sir Toby, Sir Andrew and Maria ask Feste, Olivia’s jester, to tease Malvolio with them and he pleads to deliver an abject letter to Olivia which, of course they refuse to deliver. 

I would recommend this play to anyone who has seen and enjoyed other Shakespearian productions or have seen other productions of Twelfth Night or has read Twelfth Night. Or to anyone who enjoys Shakespeare’s works or anyone above the age of about twenty-five. I would give this production a very well deserved four star rating

Edward Morrison

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Twelfth Night is a romantic comedy set in Illyria where people are judged before they are known. 

In the play this is used with a brother and sister. 

The sister and the brother are separated in a ship wreck. 

The sister (Viola) wakes the next morning on a beach and decides to get a job to earn a living. She eventually finds one as a messenger, but unfortunately only men are employed for this role.

 This is when Viola dresses up like a man but unbeknown to her she looks exactly like her brother! This is when the duke sends Viola to see the countess to tell her that he loves her. However, the countess falls in love with Viola instead and things go all wrong. 

I really like reading and listening to Shakespeare’s books but unfortunately this play was not for me. 

It may be because I’m only twelve and didn’t understand what they were doing in all of the scenes, or it may be that the old English they were speaking was a bit confusing and therefore I found the play to be a bit too long.   

It could be re-written in modern English for a younger audience.

In conclusion, I think it is a good play for an adult but I wouldn’t suggest sending a child to see it.  I would give this play three and a half stars out of five.

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