Twelfth Night - Wiltons

[Jan]

A touring production from the Watermill Theatre. Set in the 1920s Jazz Age. Anyone seen it yet ?

[lynette]

Going Saturday.

[jek]

We went to see this last weekend (me, my partner and our teenage daughter) and I'm afraid none of us enjoyed it. It felt like a student production (young and very variable performances) and as if the actors were getting a lot more out of it than we were as audience members. And it felt very long. But a lot of people around us seemed to be having a great time so maybe it was just us.

[Jan]

Sept 19, 2018 20:54:20 GMT jek said:

We went to see this last weekend (me, my partner and our teenage daughter) and I'm afraid none of us enjoyed it. It felt like a student production (young and very variable performances) and as if the actors were getting a lot more out of it than we were as audience members. And it felt very long. But a lot of people around us seemed to be having a great time so maybe it was just us.

I agree with you. I didn’t enjoy this much. Weak direction and too much Acting going on, like a stage school production. Not sure why you would set it in the 1920s if you’re then going to lever in songs from the 2010s. Sir Toby is an unsympathetic character and is particularly tiresome here. Sir Andrew was amusing. But yes, lots in the audience loved it, so maybe it’s me, but I doubt it.

2*

[Montmartre]

We saw the matinée Thursday.It was far too long, but really enjoyed their singing and interchangeable musical skills. The spoken dialogue probably fine for lovers of Shakespeare (not me). The audience however loved it, and I am glad I saw it.

[lynette]

I really enjoyed it. Got off to a slow start I felt but once into the story it went along at the required pace. Despite the introduction of the contemporary music and the jazz era music , they didn't mess with it. I was actually moved by the reconciliation and the Malvolio scenes were some of the best I’ve seen. They spoke the words clearly which is something you wouldn’t think you had to mention but you do because so often this isn’t the case. I felt that Viola though a lovely portrayal, broke her lines just a little too much and disrupted the rhythm of her key speeches. Feste not my favourite but then I saw Anton Lesser's Feste and that is the definitive for me. I wasn’t put off by the female bumptious Toby Belch because her skills as a singer and musician made a good contribution to the whole show. It was this afternoon's matinee and we were surprised that there were only three children there and this was a very accessible production. One of the children was my eight year old grandson, his first Shakespeare. A moment for us. He enjoyed it very much, laughed heartily and, I’m sorry people behind us, wriggled terribly. He just does wriggle. But the atmosphere at Wilton’s was very relaxed so I think it was ok. The other two kids were sitting in front of us, two perfectly composed little girls.

[NeilVHughes]

With lynette the Malvolio scenes were brilliant, definitively one of the best.

Some of the other cast members came over a bit too shouty and forced but didn’t distract from the overall brilliance and spirit of the production.

Had reservations of the musicality of the production, the overall musicianship of the cast soon eradicated this, in fact the music on the whole enhanced proceedings and may be enough to tempt me to the Young Vic production.

[Jan]

Sept 22, 2018 20:44:08 GMT lynette said:

I really enjoyed it. Got off to a slow start I felt but once into the story it went along at the required pace. Despite the introduction of the contemporary music and the jazz era music , they didn't mess with it. I was actually moved by the reconciliation and the Malvolio scenes were some of the best I’ve seen. They spoke the words clearly which is something you wouldn’t think you had to mention but you do because so often this isn’t the case. I felt that Viola though a lovely portrayal, broke her lines just a little too much and disrupted the rhythm of her key speeches. Feste not my favourite but then I saw Anton Lesser's Feste and that is the definitive for me. I wasn’t put off by the female bumptious Toby Belch because her skills as a singer and musician made a good contribution to the whole show. It was this afternoon's matinee and we were surprised that there were only three children there and this was a very accessible production. One of the children was my eight year old grandson, his first Shakespeare. A moment for us. He enjoyed it very much, laughed heartily and, I’m sorry people behind us, wriggled terribly. He just does wriggle. But the atmosphere at Wilton’s was very relaxed so I think it was ok. The other two kids were sitting in front of us, two perfectly composed little girls.

There were a few younger children there when I saw it. They seemed to enjoy it. They laughed loud and long during the “Malvolio in the madhouse” scene which I suppose is what Shakespeare intended but these days a disapproving silence is what it normally gets.

[lynette]

Interesting, there was silence in madhouse scene and it was uncomfortable. Nice to see it done quite well but I to wonder if back in the day this wasn't an uproariously comic scene. We know ole Willie was a genius, ahead of his time..maybe..but did he want us to laugh, did he know the audience would laugh, was he ok with anything as long as they had paid?

[joem]

Sept 21, 2018 22:06:36 GMT Jan said:

Sept 19, 2018 20:54:20 GMT jek said:

We went to see this last weekend (me, my partner and our teenage daughter) and I'm afraid none of us enjoyed it. It felt like a student production (young and very variable performances) and as if the actors were getting a lot more out of it than we were as audience members. And it felt very long. But a lot of people around us seemed to be having a great time so maybe it was just us.

I agree with you. I didn’t enjoy this much. Weak direction and too much Acting going on, like a stage school production. Not sure why you would set it in the 1920s if you’re then going to lever in songs from the 2010s. Sir Toby is an unsympathetic character and is particularly tiresome here. Sir Andrew was amusing. But yes, lots in the audience loved it, so maybe it’s me, but I doubt it.

2*

I've always thought of Sir Toby Belch as a decaffeinated Falstaff.

[Jan]

Sept 23, 2018 11:14:33 GMT joem said:

Sept 21, 2018 22:06:36 GMT Jan said:

I agree with you. I didn’t enjoy this much. Weak direction and too much Acting going on, like a stage school production. Not sure why you would set it in the 1920s if you’re then going to lever in songs from the 2010s. Sir Toby is an unsympathetic character and is particularly tiresome here. Sir Andrew was amusing. But yes, lots in the audience loved it, so maybe it’s me, but I doubt it.

2*

I've always thought of Sir Toby Belch as a decaffeinated Falstaff.

A version with no saving graces. Sir Toby is an unpleasant character who behaves unpleasantly. In this production the part is played by a woman, which is an interesting idea, but also positioned as the ringmaster of the entire production and so is on stage almost continuously - I found it very tiresome.