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Cross
dressing in the Churchyard: Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night by
Peter North Note: This article was first published in the Autumn 2007 edition of Wivenhoe News. The first
performance of the summer tour of Twelfth Night by Mad Dogs &
Englishmen was in the churchyard at Wivenhoe on the first of August. It
was intriguing to see the familiar cast, who performed so convincingly
last year in the tragedy of Macbeth, turn their acting talents to one of
the bard’s most popular comedies. The audience had high expectations and
was not disappointed. This tale of
confused and misdirected love, which includes Shakespeare’s penchant for
cross dressing, was given in a highly accessible manner that captivated
both young and old. Well known
sequences were presented in a refreshing, sometimes novel way. Indeed,
the opening line, “If music be the food of love, play on” was
delivered in a testy rather than the usual whimsical fashion. It is
challenging for actors to bring their own individual interpretations to
the speeches and actions of well loved characters. Mad
Dogs did this superbly. Nick
Murray Brown’s portrayal of Malvolio was masterly. His appearance in
cross garters was extremely funny and extravagantly lewd, but he also
managed to portray the naïve, self destructive side of the steward’s
character. Mark David Nash
captured Sir Toby Belch’s persona exactly with just the right amount of
drunken bravura. Stephan Drury
was excellent as Sir Andrew Aguecheek and conveyed both the ridiculous and
sad sides of his character. Ann
Courtney was very good as Maria and combined the amusing and manipulative
aspects of her personality in a persuasive way. Paul Preston Mills’
Feste was funny and at times insightful or sarcastic. His
singing voice was evocative and expressive. Sara
Jane Derrick and Rebecca Perry gave polished performances as Viola and
Olivia respectively and Adam J Carpenter was convincing as Sebastian.
Members of the cast displayed their usual flexibility in their
ability to switch roles with aplomb. The churchyard
and the church’s doorways were used to powerful effect and the historic
ambience added credibility to the unfolding drama. The simple set was very
effective. The play was
directed very skillfully by Ann Courtney. The highly original costumes
created by Sarah Williams, the lighting and the innovative music added
greatly to the theatrical impact of the play. As the cast
brought the evening to a close with a sonorous rendering of The rain it raineth every day the audience was relieved that for
once during this wet summer the words were not a reflection of reality!
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