Oxford Castle, 22 Jun - 3 Jul 2010

I normally avoid amateur productions of Shakespeare, but I was persuaded by the glorious weather to give this a go, and I was so glad I did.

The setting of the 1940's felt, on the whole, quite understated which allowed the plot, the language, and above all the superb acting to shine through.

Rachel Johnson obviously has a great skill for casting, as while one or two of the actors really stood out (Alexander Rogers, for example, played Malvolio to perfection) the whole cast was extremely strong.

On the whole, it was a wonderful way to spend a summer evening - I am even considering going back to see it again!

JE 29 Jun 2010

Although brilliant as it is, Shakespeare’s ‘Twelfth Night’ really isn’t as original a play as people may think in terms of content. The idea of twins being separated, confusion following and a happy ending to top it all off is a narrative that he uses multiple times. How right then for Tomahawk Theatre company to aim for a slightly fresh way of telling the well loved classic.

The Oxford Castle’s courtyard is a wonderful space and the weather perfect (what a rare thing that is for out-door theatre!). The period setting (which I took to be mid 1900s) was clear but not overstated, and the use of an accessible, jazzy style Feste (James Studds) eased the audience into the world created for us. I must say that the pace of the beginning of the play was slightly slow, however, this is common in Shakespeare’s plays as the introduction of characters and situations is crucial, and Tomahawk understood that. But very quickly the mood picked up and the actors delivered an overall wonderful and hilarious performance.

I must commend Chloe Orrock for her performance of Viola. This is a part any young actress would jump at and she delivered a confident, relaxed and warm performance. Also both Alexander Rogers and Alex Nicholls - playing the infamous Malvolio and Toby Belch respectively - made an excellent pairing, the contrast between the characters being highlighted to hilarious effect.

The rest of the cast did extremely well in rising to the large challenge of outdoor theatre. I do think that this is a performance well worth going to see. It is a wonderfully delivered production that I cannot imagine anybody would not enjoy!

OxfordTheatreReviewer 22 Jun 2010

Rachel Johnson’s production of Twelfth Night expertly brought to life the gut-wrenching generic conflicts of great Shakespearean comedy. Twelfth Night, written for performance in an Elizabethan court in the depths of winter, might seem a strange choice for performance on a string of midsummer evenings, but it worked extremely well. Revellers planned practical jokes as the sun shone around the courtyard, and by the time long lost relatives returned to each other, shadows drew long across the square.

Despite some invasion by confused members of the public, the stage space was used excellently. Oxford Castle truly became the fictional setting of Illyria: a barred window served as the prison of disgruntled Malvolio, archways became gateways into palaces, and verges were awash with wandering mariners. The open set, like a moving backdrop with eavesdropping characters, captured perfectly the (usually invisible) simultaneity of events that creates the play’s confusion.

After a slow start, the play took off once the skilled comic actors got the drinks in. Onstage romping between hilarious Belch, played by Alex Nicholls, and bouncy Maria, played by Samantha Knipe, captured the play’s bawdy humour, as did Alexander Rogers’ Malvolio’s extravagant display of sock-stuffed stockings.

The production’s only real weakness was its 1920s backdrop, seemingly grown out of the perceived necessity to heavily incorporate music into the production. Feste was less comic genius, more rat pack impersonator. He sang well, but far more than seemed necessary, even if music is the food of love. The 1920s theme had no real substance, except for providing a theme for costume and music. However some anachronistic songs were used effectively, notably the use of ‘Until The Real Thing Comes Along’ to herald Olivia’s descent into the ‘sad and merry madness’ of love with he-she ‘Cesario.’

One of the highlights of this production is Rogers’ portrayal of Malvolio’s rise and fall from camp, self-satisfied servant, to elated social-climber and finally embittered falsely-held prisoner. In the menacing final scene of the play, the spectacle of Malvolio, filthy, his stockings torn, had the audience in a confusion of laughter and revered silence.

The cast triumphed in creating a pin-drop silence and tension in the final act, broken only by an ensemble dance that took the audience to a quasi-Shakespearean, quasi-1920s wedding fest, with a dirty stocking-ed Malvolio lurking threateningly behind the well-rehearsed jazz hands. Overall, an immensely enjoyable summer evening.

Kate Johnson 22 Jun 2010

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