Twelfth Night Rocked!
I got to seepanda_pitt's crew do Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, or What You Will last night. I feel quite blessed to have been able to go as it was very much one of the better Shakespeare performances I have seen, as it was (and is) booked out, with significant waiting lists each night. Deservedly so.
There are several things that make a play work. Firstly there is the script, and this is a classic that is still funny after having seen and read it many times. I'm really happy that there was no attempt to reduce the bawdiness of the bard, and in fact on several occasions the bawdiness was enhanced by the actors, such as around the line "I pray you, bring your hand to th' buttry-bar and let it drink", where there was no doubt at all what was meant as Maria put Sir Aguecheek's hand to her groin. :)
What made it doubly funny was that the night was in this instance being played by a woman. I bet the contingent with darthsappho enjoyed that bit!
Then there's the skill of the actors. I'm happy to say that rarely through-out the play did one ever think of the players as anyone other than the characters, even though I was familiar with at least five of the cast from previous meetings. There were a couple of occasions were I think I detected some hesitation and uncertainty, or perhaps a missed line, but most of the time it was like watching a film.
The interplay between Toby Belch, Aguecheek, Fabian and Maria was highly polished, their dress, Belch's style and Aguecheek's mop of blonde hair reminding me of a Marx Brothers film. Malvolio was great, able to bring laughs merely from his facial expressions and movements, and led Ben to refer to him at one point as "the man who was like Mr. Bean", which is quite insightful as there are certainly similarities between Malvolio and the Mr. Bean character, not the least that the humour involved is of a similar nature.
But the show was stolen by the Fool, he made even the rather awkward drawing of money from the Duke and others flow well, delivered the lines clearly and with rhythm and handled the switch between priest and fool when taunting Malvolio admirably.
panda_pitt was a convincing pirate, er, I mean, sea captain, and as the participant in the only real on stage violence was large enough and had a commanding enough presence to seem a serious threat. He was probably one of the few characters who at no stage was played for laughs. Ben found it upsetting when he was dragged off by the Duke's men, and was preparing an expedition to go and rescue him!
Now I looking forward to the 48!
Yet again some of my old clothing was pressed into service as costuming, as he wore my air force service coat, the second time that coat has been used to represent a sea captain. :) Speaking of which, the costuming was simple but consistent, with umbrellas and bowlers and bare feet giving the show a Charlie Chaplin depression
Thirdly is the set and staging. This was extremely simple, with one ramp up the middle and some steps off to either side, but like many simple designs it lent it self to numerous wonderful usages, such as acting as a barrier between fighters, and I think the best usage was when Viola and Sebastian discover each other and the pair of them, twins, dressed the same, mirrored each other as they moved down either side of the ramp before coming together at the bottom for a joyous embrace.
Finally there was the music, which I think elevated what was a good play into a great play. There are several songs mentioned in the script, but they are not specified in detail, so music directors have great leeway. The most impressive thing was that other than the music at intermission, all the music was performed live, and it was performed largely by cast members. From the haunting flute and viola as Viola and Sebastian were separately washed ashore in a strange land at the beginning, to the full cast, multi-part harmony of "The Rain it Raineth Everyday" at the end the music not only complemented the play but enhanced it significantly
The Fool played solo ukele and sang on several occasions, and on command of Duke Orsino played guitar and sang. The later sounded and looked very Bob Dylan, and in the intermission I was impressed that even the songs played then were highly apropos the play.
adrexia would have approved of the use of Dylan's Shelter From the Storm which as I listened to it seemed almost like it was written for the playTwas in another lifetime, one of toil and blood
When blackness was a virtue and the road was full of mud
I came in from the wilderness, a creature void of form
"Come in," she said,
"I'll give you shelter from the storm.
....
Well, I'm livin' in a foreign country but I'm bound to cross the line
Beauty walks a razor's edge, someday I'll make it mine.
If I could only turn back the clock to when God and her were born
Come in," she said,
"I'll give you shelter from the storm."
As Viola comes ashore from the shipwreck, she might as well be "a creature void of form", and chooses the form of Caesario. The song also happens to have major resonances with myself, so I apologize for my indulgence
We should all now use one of panda_pitt's lines when heading toward a hostelry or drinking establishment :
To the Elephant!
There are several things that make a play work. Firstly there is the script, and this is a classic that is still funny after having seen and read it many times. I'm really happy that there was no attempt to reduce the bawdiness of the bard, and in fact on several occasions the bawdiness was enhanced by the actors, such as around the line "I pray you, bring your hand to th' buttry-bar and let it drink", where there was no doubt at all what was meant as Maria put Sir Aguecheek's hand to her groin. :)
What made it doubly funny was that the night was in this instance being played by a woman. I bet the contingent with darthsappho enjoyed that bit!
Then there's the skill of the actors. I'm happy to say that rarely through-out the play did one ever think of the players as anyone other than the characters, even though I was familiar with at least five of the cast from previous meetings. There were a couple of occasions were I think I detected some hesitation and uncertainty, or perhaps a missed line, but most of the time it was like watching a film.
The interplay between Toby Belch, Aguecheek, Fabian and Maria was highly polished, their dress, Belch's style and Aguecheek's mop of blonde hair reminding me of a Marx Brothers film. Malvolio was great, able to bring laughs merely from his facial expressions and movements, and led Ben to refer to him at one point as "the man who was like Mr. Bean", which is quite insightful as there are certainly similarities between Malvolio and the Mr. Bean character, not the least that the humour involved is of a similar nature.
But the show was stolen by the Fool, he made even the rather awkward drawing of money from the Duke and others flow well, delivered the lines clearly and with rhythm and handled the switch between priest and fool when taunting Malvolio admirably.
panda_pitt was a convincing pirate, er, I mean, sea captain, and as the participant in the only real on stage violence was large enough and had a commanding enough presence to seem a serious threat. He was probably one of the few characters who at no stage was played for laughs. Ben found it upsetting when he was dragged off by the Duke's men, and was preparing an expedition to go and rescue him!
Now I looking forward to the 48!
Yet again some of my old clothing was pressed into service as costuming, as he wore my air force service coat, the second time that coat has been used to represent a sea captain. :) Speaking of which, the costuming was simple but consistent, with umbrellas and bowlers and bare feet giving the show a Charlie Chaplin depression
Thirdly is the set and staging. This was extremely simple, with one ramp up the middle and some steps off to either side, but like many simple designs it lent it self to numerous wonderful usages, such as acting as a barrier between fighters, and I think the best usage was when Viola and Sebastian discover each other and the pair of them, twins, dressed the same, mirrored each other as they moved down either side of the ramp before coming together at the bottom for a joyous embrace.
Finally there was the music, which I think elevated what was a good play into a great play. There are several songs mentioned in the script, but they are not specified in detail, so music directors have great leeway. The most impressive thing was that other than the music at intermission, all the music was performed live, and it was performed largely by cast members. From the haunting flute and viola as Viola and Sebastian were separately washed ashore in a strange land at the beginning, to the full cast, multi-part harmony of "The Rain it Raineth Everyday" at the end the music not only complemented the play but enhanced it significantly
The Fool played solo ukele and sang on several occasions, and on command of Duke Orsino played guitar and sang. The later sounded and looked very Bob Dylan, and in the intermission I was impressed that even the songs played then were highly apropos the play.
adrexia would have approved of the use of Dylan's Shelter From the Storm which as I listened to it seemed almost like it was written for the playTwas in another lifetime, one of toil and blood
When blackness was a virtue and the road was full of mud
I came in from the wilderness, a creature void of form
"Come in," she said,
"I'll give you shelter from the storm.
....
Well, I'm livin' in a foreign country but I'm bound to cross the line
Beauty walks a razor's edge, someday I'll make it mine.
If I could only turn back the clock to when God and her were born
Come in," she said,
"I'll give you shelter from the storm."
As Viola comes ashore from the shipwreck, she might as well be "a creature void of form", and chooses the form of Caesario. The song also happens to have major resonances with myself, so I apologize for my indulgence
We should all now use one of panda_pitt's lines when heading toward a hostelry or drinking establishment :
To the Elephant!