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London Review
London ReviewTwelfth Night
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Twelfth Night from Filter returns to The Tricycle
I think it would be a good idea to have some idea of the story before you see it or you might be confused by the rapid developments of the plot, not least when Poppy Miller has to play both twins with a turn of her head. With the RSC.s truncated Hamlet for Schools and their taking shortened versions of Henry V and As You Like It to New York, maybe filtered Shakespeare will become on trend. Ferdy Roberts shows Malvolio.s cruelty to Maria (Gemma Saunders) to provide her with a motive but we experience the dark side of the play when Malvolio is imprisoned and unforgiving. Everything that Charlotte described in her original review below applies. Victoria Moseley.s interesting Olivia strengthens the production. Updated Production Notes: Twelfth Night Credits as below in the original production Cast change: Victoria Moseley instead of Syreeta Kumar as Olivia Running time: One hour 30 minutes with no interval Box Office: 020 7328 1000 Booking at the Tricycle to 29th May 2010 Touring Dates 14th-19th June 2010: Bath Theatre Royal 13th - 18th September: Newbury Corn Exchange 20th - 25th September: The Tobacco Factory, Bristol 27th September - 2nd October: Hall for Cornwall 11th - 16th October: The Curve, Leicester 1st- 6th November: The Lowry, Salford 15th - 20th November: The Rose, Kingston Reviewed by Lizzie Loveridge based on 6th May 2010 performance at the Tricycle Theatre, Kilburn High Road, London NW6 7JR (Tube:Kilburn) |
Earlier Review by Charlotte Loveridge
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Present mirth hath present laughter. . .— Feste
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Oliver Dimsdale as Belch, Jonathan Broadbent as Aguecheek and Syreeta Kumar as Maria.
(Photo: Tristram Kenton)
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The set is an undisguised mess of equipment, cables, mixing decks and even an electric double bass. Impressive sonic effects assault the audience's senses and create an all-immersing atmosphere. Music is rightfully central to this Twelfth Night and when, for example, Orsino demands an "excess" of song, they take his order literally and there is a wild party of music in response.
In casual modern dress, the cast look like they have simply turned up as they were, assuming no particular make-up or costume. Together with the acoustic ingenuity and the postmodern staging, this gives the production an extra edge of integrity. It is as if the heightened aural reality and the lack of design artifice makes the emotion more sincere.
This production is full of playful originality and executed with a sense of sheer fun; For example, a messenger speech is delivered by a mobile phone held up to a microphone. A radio tuned to a shipping forecast tells of the heavy storm which separated the twins and informs Viola what country she is in. However, Filter have always contained their innovative vigour with self-discipline and this restraint is remarkable in a company with so much madcap talent. Here, they temper the boisterous comedy by embracing the darkness and cruelty of the play, which is often glossed over by more straightforward productions. The menace which Malvolio suffers is revealed in all its malicious brutality and the madness scene, enacted on a completely pitch-black stage, is truly chilling.
With a cast of just six actors (and three musicians), there is character doubling which, as well as for reasons of economy, works to explicate many of the play's parallelistic personality traits. So Jonathan Broadbent, for example, plays both Orsino and Aguecheek with his catlike grin and grace, emphasizing the characters' delusion in their hopeless pursuit of and unrequited love for Olivia. Poppy Miller as Viola also cleverly doubles up a somewhat abridged Sebastian.
Ferdy Roberts' Malvolio reveals just what a consummate actor he is with an incredibly sympathetic and hilarious performance which is central to bringing out the play's darker elements. Gorgeously pedantic and supercilious, his Olivia fantasy is accompanied by a rock-rhythm to show the intensity of his desire. Oliver Dimsdale's Sir Toby Belch is the only character in period costume and played with delightful uniqueness, if slightly straying from the text. He first stumbles across the back of the stage, drunkenly spouting a Hamlet soliloquy. He downs real pints and tequila shots onstage and his sobriety visibly starts to degenerate.
Shakespeare purists may find the production too original and the audience probably need to know the plot too, but this Twelfth Night has a variety of tempo and texture of feeling which baffles expectations and provides an exhilarating experience. Filter have revitalised a classic play with an utterly charming, amusing and inventive version.
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Twelfth Night
By William Shakespeare Created by Filter Directed by Sean Holmes With: Jonathan Broadbent, Oliver Dimsdale, Syreeta Kumar, Poppy Miller, Ferdy Roberts, Gemma Saunders Musicians: Tom Haines, Ross Hughes, Alan Pagan, Russell Marsh Sound design: Tom Haines, Ross Hughes Running time: 1 hour 25 minutes with no interval Filter in association with the Royal Shakespeare Company Box Office: 020 7328 1000 Booking to 27th September 2008 Reviewed by Charlotte Loveridge based on 2nd September 2008 performance at The Tricycle Theatre, 269 Kilburn High Road, London, NW6 7JR (Tube: Kilburn) |
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