This was a night worth waiting for, and it exceeded my expectations.
I'm a HUUUUUUGGGGGEEEEEE Shakespeare buff. HUGE. When I discovered that the Royal Shakespeare Company was performing Twelfth Night in London, I flipped out a little bit. When I discovered that they were giving away free tickets to under-25s, I flipped out A LOT. Part of the reason I dragged my friend down St. Martin's Lane on Monday was to get tickets.
I'm always surprised by the seat quality that London theater's offer for their youth programs. In December, I saw Inherit the Wind with Kevin Spacey. I paid only £12 for a seat in the first row of the Dress Circle--- I had a bit of an obstructed view, but I could see a lot more than people who paid way more money than I did. For Twelfth Night, we again got amazing seats--- 4th and 5th row from the stage.
The production was amazing. Beautiful set design, interesting production choices, and lots of color. The director took inspiration from 19th century romantics who would go on Grand Tours of Europe and the Middle East. This Twelfth Night was enhanced by sweet incense, whirling Greek dancers to live music, orthodox priests, and vibrant costumes of woven cloth and intricate embroidery.
The characters seemed to be romantics themselves, almost enjoying the pain of love more than the relationship itself. I was particularly struck by Duke Orsino, played by Jo Stone-Fewings, who loved a woman beyond reason or necessity, even though she could not love him back. Granted, Shakespeare did this so Orsino could hook up with Viola in the end--- I get that. In this production, though, Stone-Fewings reveled in each rejection, each spurned advance.
I also thought that the director made an intriguing choice to emphasize the bitter and melancholy aspects of this comedic work. Generally, there are only two ways a Shakespeare play ends--- everyone dies, or everyone gets married. Since Twelfth Night ends in a triple marriage (Orsino and Viola, Sebastion and Olivia, Toby and Maria), it can undoubtedly be considered one of the Bard's happier plays.
The director ended this production in discord, though. As the fool Festes gives us one more song, miniature scenes are played out before the curtain call. Antonio, who rescued Sebastian from the waves, is abandoned by his friend, life debt unpaid. We see the effects of Toby Belch's destructive alcoholism as his marriage to Maria dissolves. Finally, a broken Malvolio wanders across the stage and pauses before the audience. This highlights another interesting aspect of the production. Malvolio was played with marvelous old-man arrogance by Richard Wilson. Because of his age, the cruel trick played on Malvolio is more than helpless fun--- it destroys a man, uproots his vision of the world and his place in it. If a younger actor had played the part, Toby's jest would have been just that--- the character would be embarrassed, hopefully less arrogant, but still intact. Wilson, on the other hand, showed how the tailored, buttoned-up steward dissolved into a fragile old man.
All of these aspects, especially the set design and costumes, resulted in a vibrant, transportive production. For a few hours I was taken out of the Duke of York's Theatre (which is really cool, by the way--- it was built in 1892!) and transported to Illyria. God, I love it when Shakespeare is done right.
A reference to another famous author. Lots of famous people from Canterbury, including, as it turns out, Orlando Bloom. *Cue screams of girly teenage obsession*
Group picture (almost--- Jess insisted on taking the picture herself) in front of the West Gate.
Cool pub. Didn't have time to stop in, though...
Kristi accepted. Interesting way for a pack of teenage boys to spend a Saturday, roving through the streets of Canterbury...
They had some costumes at the Canterbury museum, so of course I *HAD* to put one on.
The tomb of the Black Prince.
The tomb of Henry IV and his queen, Joan of Navarre.
Memorial to Thomas Becket. His tomb became a pilgrimage site after the 12th century, but it was destroyed by Henry VIII after the split with the catholic church.
Plaque from the Canterbury Roman Museum, made notable by its reference to Doctor Who. The museum was probably geared towards children, but it was still educational!
One of the gaudier exhibits in Canterbury--- an animatronic portrayal of Geoffrey Chaucer's iconic work. We decided to skip this, since it bore a disturbing resemblance to It's a Small World. Sorry, Mom--- not falling for THAT twice.
KRISTI IS REALLY EXCITED TO GO TO CANTERBURY!
The gate to get into the Cathedral. Note all the heraldic crests above the entrance...
Beautiful gothic cathedral. If you walk around, you can see the different stages of when it was built.
Interior view, looking from the Nave to the Choir.
Funeral accoutrements of Edward, the Black Prince of Wales. I *flipped out* when I first saw these. Had no idea he was buried here...
All of my former english teachers would be so proud...
The poster, highlighting Richard Wilson as Malvolio during the famous garden scene. Fabian, Sir Andrew Aguecheek and Sir Toby Belch can be seen lurking in the square tree behind the curmudgeon.
Nancy Carroll as Cesario/Viola and Jo Stone-Fewings as Orsino. They're actually married in real life, which lends them an interesting familiarity on stage. Can I just say how awesome his mutton chops are?
Another view of the garden scene, which was quite funny. Also shows the audience how desperate Malvolio is to be loved. Not enough hugs as a small child?
The stage, as seen from the stage-right balcony. I love how the wave seems to erupt from the stage. It had a slight bluish tint, probably some sort of wood stain rather than paint, so it gave the stage a rather dusty feel. The costumes and stage design did a remarkable job of creating a Mediterranean old-world vibe.
