Twelfth Night, ASC, Feb 17, 2020

THEATRE 

By William Shakespeare, by Australian Shakespeare Company 

at Botanical Gardens, until Feb 29, 2020 

Reviewer: Kate Herbert 

Stars: ****

Review published in print (not online) in Herald Sun on Friday 21 Feb 2020. KH 

Antony Rive, Kevin Hopkins

 Under the stars on a late summer evening, Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night is a joyful entertainment riddled with plot intrigues, mistaken identity, cross-dressing, comical twists and jolly japes.

Glenn Elston’s rollicking, laugh-out-loud production incorporates oodles of physical comedy, eccentric characterisations, original music (Paul Norton), vivid costumes (Karla Erenbots), clownish make-up (Lou McLaren) and modern references.

After a shipwreck which Viola (Elizabeth Brennan) believes killed her twin brother, Sebastian (Mitchell Wills), Viola dresses as a boy, gets a job as a manservant then falls in love with her employer, Duke Orsino (Hugh Sexton). Orsino pines for Olivia (Anna Burgess) who rebuffs him because she is in love with the cross-dressing Viola. 

Meanwhile, the servants and house guests engage in drunken carousing and other tomfoolery, including playing cruel tricks upon Olivia’s pompous and dour servant, Malvolio, played by Dion Mills.

The production is playful, fast-paced, animated and littered with bawdy, broad humour, singalongs and actors scampering amongst the audience. There is never a dull moment.

As the grief-stricken Olivia and lovelorn Orsino – characters generally not played for laughs ­– in this interpretation, Burgess and Sexton are almost as funny as the obvious comic characters.

The outrageously silly slapstick scenes are a highlight. Kevin Hopkins is loud and oafish as the scruffy, boozy Sir Toby Belch, while Tony Rive is deliciously comical as the foppish, foolish nincompoop, Sir Andrew Aguecheek.

Claire Nicholls is suitably saucy and sharp-tongued as naughty Maria, Madeleine Somers brings new life to the minor role of Fabian, while Patrick Schnur leads the music – both mournful and spirited – as truth-telling jester, Feste.

Pick a warm evening, pack a picnic, a blanket and wine and enjoy these Twelfth Night revels. It’s a hoot!

by Kate Herbert

Orsino - Hugh Sexton

Viola - Elizabeth Brennan

Sebastian - Mitchell Wills

Olivia - Anna Burgess

Malvolio/Captain - Dion Mills

Maria - Claire Nicholls
Sir Toby Belch- Kevin Hopkins

Feste - Patrick Schnur
Sir Andrew Aguecheek- Tony Rive

Fabian - Maddy Somers
Antonia - Madeleine Mason

Officer Charlie Mycroft

Olivia McLeod

Music by Paul Norton

Costumes Karla Erenbots

Choreography Sue-Ellen Shook

Make-up Lou McLaren