week 5 Shakespeare Today

On the 3rd of April I ventured down to the National Theatre to see Simon Godwin's interpretation of Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare. This famous comedy tells the tale of two twins aboard a ship which is wrecked on the rocks during a violent storm of the coast of Illyria. Viola is washed ashore, assuming her brother Sebastian has drowned she fakes her identity, taking the name of Cesario and disguises herself as a male for protection. She then ends up being employed by the Duke named Orsino. An cacophony of mischief and confusion swiftly follows leading up to a grand conclusion.

Viola and her maids in contemporary dress

My first impressions of the play was how incredible the staging was. I have seen many productions at the national theatre and the staging is always brilliant due to their enormous budget and Twelfth Night was no exception. The set was circular and rotated around the stage containing different sections depicting different areas such as a street, or a room in the palace. Each section had adaptable floors and walls which changed depending on the setting of that specific scene. During a scene change the stage would set would rotate allowing you to see glimpses of what was occurring in other locations which was a nice touch. This kept the action going at all times from all sides. The main focal point of the stage was a towering platform depicting the bowl of a ship, however when rotated it was a large staircase which was used as a section of the palace. Obviously this is a complete contrast to staging and scenery in the Elizabethan period. During Shakespeare's time sets were very minimalist and bare only including props vital to the play's story line. Its fascinating to see how Shakespeare's writing is still maintained word for word but infused with modern technology.

The character of Feste the court jester was also played by a woman, her costume is contemporary but also rather elaborate

The costumes were very contemporary and rather lavish and fashionable. Keeping in tune with the character's status and social class but with a modern twist. The story arc fitted the plays contemporary setting as the concept of a love triangle is very common in both theatre, film and TV today. Props such as a hot tub and a fountain emerged through trap doors which was a common feature in Elizabethan commercial theatre, where villains and heroes alike could appear from trap doors as a grand entrance. So it was great to see a nod to Elizabethan technology.

Fountain emerged from a trapdoor

Godwin also chose to keep the idea of fencing in the duel between Sir Andrew and Cesario over Olivia's love. I enjoyed the fact the pair conducted an unskillful duel with the use of fencing swords as oppose to a handgun or some other kind of alternative weapon as fencing took place a lot in Shakespeare's plays during the Elizabethan period, a skill the actors had to master themselves. Music was also used in the performance during the party sequences although the tracks were contemporary, the use of music was prevalent in Shakespeare's time actors had to be able to play musical instruments and sing onstage as well as act. The music in this case came from a stereo.

Duel between Sir Andrew and Cesario

In the play the idea was all roles were gender fluid and therefore some females actually played male parts. For example Malvolio a renowned comic role was played by comedic actress Tamsin Greig who i must say gave an excellent performance. The role traditionally is male however the name was changed to Malvolia and the character remained a strict no nonsense steward. In the Elizabethan period these foolish comedic roles would be cherished and reserved for a popular male comic actor. Women were not even allowed to act in plays altogether until 1660, not even the female parts. Therefore the idea of a woman taking a male part and changing it slightly would of coursed tremendous outrage during that period.

Malvolia discovering the letter that was planted by Sir Andrew, Feste and Sir Toby Belch

Shakespeare's work and the stories he tells in them can be interpreted and made relevant to today's audience. I think that changing the gender of Malvolio keeps the production fresh and creates a talking point and a new perspective.