Twelfth Night

Mistaken identity, unrequited love, cruel pranks and a revolving stage are just a few of the happenings in the EUTC’s Twelfth Night. Directed by Paul Hughes and supported by the RSC’s Open Stages programme, this new reimagining of one of William Shakespeare’s most popular comedies, focuses on the darker aspects of the Bard’s script, to present an unexpected and unfamiliar version of the play.

Shakespeare’s classic tale focuses on the twins Viola (Imogen Brabant) and Sebastian (Ben Thompson) who are separated following a shipwreck and believe each other to be dead. However, as they attempt to recover from their ordeals, fate and a lot of conspiring by the fool, Feste (Daisy Badger) reveal some lucky coincidences that lead to a web of love, deceit and mistaken identity. Hughes’retelling of one of Shakespeare’s most well known comedies focuses on the aspects of loss, heartbreak loneliness and grief that are somewhat apparent in the original play. While this is understandable because of the play’s plot of the separation of Viola and Sebastian, and Olivia’s unrequited love and longing for Viola, the problem with removing the comedy is that it makes this version of Twelfth Night rather slow and somewhat heavy.

While there were still some moments of light comic relief, they were overshadowed by the play’s insistence of focusing on the darker parts of love, lust and relationships. And it’s these ideas of love, while understandable, and completely relatable that makes this production so alien to what the audience are used to, and while this may be Hughes’ desire, these ideas are sadly unoriginal and tired. Featuring a rotating stage that was manipulated by the actors themselves, rich, gothic costuming by Lani Issacs, and interesting white faced make up by Carolyn Boyce, Twelfth Night is undoubtedly a visual feast for the senses. But the staging, which makes this production so unique, also trapped the actors in what was a very small staging area, leaving them with little room to move, to express emotions and carry out actions, which resulted in a number of stiff and unnatural performances. While there were some standout moments, particularly with Badger’s turn as the feisty fool, Feste, Hughes’ new version of Twelfth Night, while aesthetically pleasing, lacks substance and drive.