This weekend, the Old Fire Station on George Street once again hosted MadCap, a touring theatre company based in Worcestershire, this time for a performance of Shakespeare's ever popular comedy Twelfth Night.
The play revolves around the fate of Viola (eminently played by Emmeline Braefield), a young girl shipwrecked on the coast of Illyria. To get by, she dresses up as a man and gets employment as a servant to the dashing Duke Orsino (Stephen Critchley) and becomes a go-between in the Duke’s pursuit of the beautiful Countess Olivia (Rebecca Bell).
In a classic case of comedic irony, Olivia, not seeing through Viola's disguise, falls in love with the eloquent youth, while Viola herself falls in love with her master, the Duke. It only becomes really confusing when Viola’s male twin brother Sebastian turns up (played by debutant Jack Sharman)!
The excellently cast actors delivered their lines with energy and enthusiasm. They were completely in character and clearly had a great time. The sense of fun was infectious! The intimate setup in the Old Fire Station made increased interaction with the audience possible. And the simple scenography meant the actors had to rely mostly on their own body language, much as it would have been in Shakespeare’s own time.
The action was made easy to understand, but without compromising the original. They worked with the text rather than against it, used Shakespeare's original jokes to great effect, and made it impossible to miss Shakespeare's innuendos.
Sometimes with Shakespeare, the language of the play can be a barrier to understanding. However, with this performance, the brilliance of the actors made you appreciate the brilliance of the text. The fool (Oisin Porter) in particular delivered his tongue-twister lines with effortless ease, running circles round the other characters. It really made you appreciate how clever and witty the play is!
Also of note was the combination of physical and verbal excellence, especially in Olivia's rowdy relative Sir Toby (Sam Patrick) and his friend, the timid knight Sir Andrew (Robert Moore). As a contrast to these, take Alan Wales’ brilliantly subtle Malvolio, Olivia’s pompous steward who falls victim to a plot by Sir Toby and friends who, through a cunning trick by Olivia’s maid Maria, make Malvolio believe he can win his lady's affections by loosening up a bit - or in fact so much that he ends up being put in a madhouse.
Maria is played by the play's director herself, Emma Leigh, who is also artistic director of MadCap and, one must assume, should take a great deal of credit for this wonderfully lively performance. When MadCap next visits the Old Fire Station, please do go and see them!