SmartShanghai | Stage Review: 'Twelfth Night'

Stage Review: 'Twelfth Night'

By Eilidh McCabe, Mar 25th, 2011 | In Stage

Shanghai Repertory Theatre are on a roll. Last week they brought us Conal Creedon's superb one-man show, 'The Cure'; now they're doing Shakespeare in style. Their tremendously creative production of 'Twelfth Night', directed by Thomas Caron, runs until 3rd April at Ke Center. If you're partial to a spot of bawdy Elizabethan humour, this one's for you -- and it could be the most entertaining piece of theatre you’ll see this year.

This production gives the Shakespearean universe a wartime twist, with a swing soundtrack, 1940's costumes and cabaret-esque songs adapted from the original text. It opens with Viola awakening on the shores of Illyria, separated from her near-identical brother Sebastian after a plane crash. She promptly does what any sensible person would do: she takes the name Cesario and impersonates a man in order to gain employment in the house of the local Duke, Orsino. Orsino is a toe-tapping, finger-snapping, sharp-suited gentleman of the most dapper breed, and Viola's pretty keen to make the beast with two backs with him. Unfortunately he's besotted with Countess Olivia, who in turn has her eye firmly on Cesario's - Viola's - well-stuffed crotch. Meanwhile, several mischievous members of Olivia's household conspire against her pompous steward, Malvolio.

One of the joys of 'Twelfth Night' is its intrinsic silliness, and the possibilities it therefore offers for getting playful with its staging. This production capitalizes fully on this, every aspect of it tingling with a gleeful energy that's impossible to resist. The actors are constantly on the move around the stage, and yet it’s clear that even the smallest of these movements has been painstakingly choreographed. The set is stripped back, ensuring that the marvelously exact period costumes are given the attention they deserve. Seen together, the characters resemble a police line-up from an Agatha Christie novel. But it works: booze-saturated Sir Toby Belch sports a fez with such conviction that you may actually consider checking Shakespeare's script to see if such an item is mentioned.

The cast is magnificent; there's not one of the lead actors you wouldn't want in your corner in the event of a soliloquy-off. The stand-out performance, however, comes from Laurie Padgett Fralick as the Duchess's boisterous Fool, who thoroughly steals every scene she appears in. Her delight in the role brightens her entire performance, from her animated facial expressions to the series of musical numbers she carries off in style. After the Fool's closing song, the cast was rewarded with a standing ovation, every clap of which they had undeniably earned.

Twelfth Night is an essentially very dynamic play that can too often become dry and brittle as a result of ineffective staging. However, SRT have managed to wring every drop of potential from it with a production that’s spectacular in its inventiveness. You won't feel the need to surreptitiously check your watch even once. In short: Go to this play. Go if you like Shakespeare, because you'll love it. Go if you don't like Shakespeare, because it might change your mind. Go, go, go, go, go. Just go. You can thank us afterwards.

SRT's "Twelfth Night" plays at the Ke Center until April 3. Ticketing info right here.

Photos by Tobias Kegler.