It was fun, fun all the way with a typically imaginative re-telling of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night from director Max Webster.
It’s a great love story, of course; with cross-dressing and mistaken identity, with such memorable characters that makes portraying them so tricky. But of course, our Malvolio, Nick Malinowski (doubling up as Orsino) carried off the winks and preposterous costumes to giggles, roars… and some sighs of sympathy.
My young companion asked: ‘Why are they being so horrible to him?’ The delightful Sarah Ridgeway and the naturally comical Guy Lewis introduced themselves as twins to much laughter; this was a clever move because the story can get a little confusing. The action moved quickly and coherently with the themes of love and music running as a constant throughout.
Clever use of staging kept the audience enthralled throughout. Well done to the super cast Wayne Cater (Belch/Valentine), Riann Steele (Olivia), the impish Vera Chook (Maria) and leader of the pack Iain Johnstone (Feste/Antonia).
Some of the grown-ups were a little reluctant to join in the fun of Illyrian [Mexican] Waves and dancing but the younger members of the audience were up for it, big time! Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre is a magical place to watch Shakespeare, especially in the sunshine, performed so well.
Keep an eye out for news of next year’s production as the theatre runs a brilliant education programme.