Review: TWELFTH NIGHT, Sheffield Crucible
Photo credit: Manuel Harlan
Following September’s King Lear, we were longing for the second production in Sheffield Theatres’ Shakespearean Season to be great. Twelfth Night was certainly more enjoyable than Lear. However, it is still far from the hit that Sheffield audiences have been eagerly awaiting since Elizabeth Newman’s tenure as Artistic Director began just over a year ago.
Jamie Glover directs this production of Shakespeare’s classic mistaken identities comedy. In his production, the scenes are wonderfully pacey. Meanwhile, there are lots of transitions between scenes in darkness which grind the storytelling to a halt - there is no clear explanation for these transitions given there are so few set pieces to be moved. Amanda Stoodley’s set design is very minimalistic - there is a paved circle in the centre (where the sandpit was for King Lear) and a set of three benches that rotated into different configurations. It is usually fairly easy to keep up with where we were supposed to be though, which is greatly enhanced by Richard Howell’s cinematic lighting design. Even if the set doesn’t give the idea of being on an island in the summer, Howell’s lighting definitely does. Stoodley’s costumes lacks cohesion - some feel modern whilst some feel more period, and a clearer vision for the visual world of the play wouldn’t go amiss.
Twelfth Night is a play that contains several songs and these have been set to composition from Genevieve Dawson. ‘Three Merry Men Be We’ is a brilliant company number, full of energy, and it’s a shame more opportunities haven’t been found for lively musical sequences. Feste’s musical interludes have almost all become heartfelt ballads - whilst sung nicely by David Birrell, they slow the pace of the production down too much.
The idea of having one company perform the two very different Shakespeare plays is fascinating. Casting director Matilda James CDG has done a good job at assembling a company of actors who, on the whole, can deliver comedy and tragedy very well.
The one new cast member who joins the cast for Twelfth Night who didn’t appear in King Lear is Matthew Horne (of Gavin and Stacey fame). On the whole, Horne gives an enjoyable performance as Malvolio. He’s particularly natural in the moments that lean more into physical comedy and he builds a great rapport with the audience. At times, it feels like he’s trying hard to remember his lines rather than the Shakespearean language being natural to him. By the end of the play, though, the pathos that comes from Malvolio’s journey lands beautifully.
The highlights of this production are Milo Twomey as Sir Toby Belch and James Chetwood as Sir Andrew Aguecheek. Most of the comedy comes from them, creating characters that are inherently funny whilst also landing the laughs in the dialogue. Katie Wimpenny also matches their comedic style as Maria with a larger than life performance that somehow still feels believable.
Bebe Sanders drives most of the narrative as Viola. She is a likeable protagonist and she lands the comedy that comes from the uncomfortable situations she finds herself in. The reuniting of her with her long lost brother Sebastian, played by Harry Redding, is incredibly heartwarming. Justina Kehinde is fun as Olivia once she settles into the role - she particularly shines when leaning into Olivia’s more flirtatious nature.
Twelfth Night is a light-hearted fun Shakespearean romp and it’s fascinating to see this company of actors play roles so different to the ones they played in King Lear. Whilst it’s not a particularly creative production, it will give you a few laughs on these dark autumnal evenings.
*** Three stars
Reviewed by: Jacob Bush
Twelfth Night plays at Sheffield Crucible Theatre until 31 Oct, with further info here.