Twelfth Night

It was a pleasure to be invited back to Westholme School to review their latest production, the Shakespearean comedy; ‘Twelfth Night.’

The production was originally scheduled to take place outside, but the rain set in and twenty minutes before the curtain was due to rise, the decision was made to relocate inside. By the interval, the sun was shining again, and the audience chose to watch the remainder of the performance outside. The cast and crew did a fantastic job adapting to the situation and the audience were all to happy to oblige, warmly wrapped in blankets, enjoying hot pizza, it all added to the experience of live theatre.

‘Twelfth Night’ is one of the lighter and better known of Shakespeare’s plays. It is a multi-layered comedy, complete with deception, disguise, mistaken identity, and the madness of love, all wrapped up in a fast-paced, classic farce. Director, Miss C Roberts had a strong cast, meticulously rehearsed. The pace, feeling and emotion exhibited throughout was great. Signs that a director has worked diligently with the cast on one of Shakespeare’s plays, is when the audience can understand what each actor is saying, with the knowledge that said actor also understands the meaning of what they are saying, not simply reciting lines. The actors all spoke conversationally, rather than in lofty tones, delivering animated characters that often made the audience laugh aloud. There was no doubt, this cast understood and embraced every moment. This production was set the 1980’s with costumes and music from that era, however, the dialogue remained from the 1600’s. Costumes by Mrs. J. Ward-Thompson were kept simple, colours and net skirting adorned Feste, marking out the fool from the crowd. Malvolio wore the yellow stocking and cross garters as called for in the script and necessary for the purposes of the story. The music fit well within the dialogue; we had recorded snippets from Simple Minds, Eurythmics, and Talking Heads to name a few.  Musical Director; Mr. B. Holt, and his band: Billy Corrigan and Max Johns supported the two vocalists performing as the audience took their seats, both at the opening and interval. Ruby Thompson gave an impressive rendition of Whitney Houston ‘I Wanna Dance with Somebody’ and Maya Pickford wowed the audience with her versions of; ‘Dreams,’ Fleetwood Mac and ‘Wicked Game,’ Chris Isaak. This was a nice touch; the singers settled the audience before the dialogue began. Dance routines by Mrs K. Barber included a fabulously funny homage to Queen; ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ the wigs causing much mirth within the audience, and a lively movement to Beastie Boys; ‘Fight for Your Right.’ Routines were simple but effective.

The set outside was minimalist; sheets were used to create a background with covered sides for the actors to enter and exit. A small, floral, dressed arbour was preset, props were brought on by the actors as required. I thought, when we relocated outside, the cast got an extra boost; they became even more animated, their joy evident. Obviously, lights were needed indoors for the first half of the show and Mr. G. Ward Thompson quickly organised a lighting plot. The thunder and lightening as the shipwrecked at the start of the story looked and sounded great, an effect I’m sure benefited from being inside. Sound by Mr. M. Bradford was clear, when the wind picked up, the actors projected and occasionally used handheld microphones.

Willa Barnett was strong as Viola/Cesario. Willa was strong, her command of the dialogue was impressive. She was animated and confident, her anguish at the death of her brother and when lamenting her unrequited love was heartfelt.  Her comedy timing was wonderful.

Duke Orsino was played by Peter Ward-Thompson. Peter has a strong singing voice, his rendition of Simple Minds; ‘Don’t You (Forget About Me)’ was powerful. Spurned by Lady Olivia, he was emotive and expressive, with a great command of the dialogue.

Charlotte Kenyon gave a superior performance as Olivia. Her mourning forgotten instantly when she met Cesario. Her unbridled passion released; she chased her pray relentlessly. Charlotte was humorous, animated, and noteworthy in this role.

Playing Viola’s twin, Sebastian; was Poppy Wynne. Sebastian was a less complex character than Viola, but Poppy played her role with confidence.

Malvolio was played by Scarlett Brindley. Scarlett was excellent as the uptight, fun spoiling, head steward to Olivia. As she strutted her stuff in yellow stocking with garters, the choice of Adam and the Ants ‘Prince Charming’ adding to the ridiculous peacocking, the audience laughed aloud. A jolly comical, confident performance from Scarlett.

Natasha Hussain played Feste with gusto and merriment. As the fool, Natasha was adorned in a multi coloured costume, net skirting, loud leg warmers, all perfect throwbacks to the 80’s in terms of style, making Feste stand out from the crowd. With lengthy dialogue delivered clearly and with humour, Natasha was effervescent and lively.

With fake abdominal muscles printed into a t’ shirt, Mason Smith played the role of Sir Toby Belch. The party going, practical joker and Uncle to Olivia. Mason stood out on stage as he threw himself into this role with enthusiasm. Mason had an excellent command of the diction, whilst playing a very silly character. He made the audience laugh with his facial expressions and well-timed witticisms.

Jonathan Baker played fellow joker Sir Andrew Aguecheek. Constantly up to mischief, drunk and demanding to dual with Cesario, Jonathan played a great part. The dual scene was funny, the facial reactions employed by Jonathan were excellent. Loud and silly, with clear diction, Jonathan gave an impressive performance.

Darcie Dewhurst gave a spirited performance as Maria, the fun-loving servant to Olivia. Her diction was clear and her projection strong. Gracie Harfield was notable as Antonia, whilst Emelia McGuigan gave an entertaining portrayal as Fabian. Westholme have many players on their stage, and although not all are mentioned individually by name, the rest of the cast were equally impressive, the quality of the acting was excellent throughout.

 I would like to thank Westholme School and Mrs. A. Holland for inviting me to review ‘Twelfth Night and taking such good care of myself and my guest. I look forward to seeing many more productions in the future.

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