Twelfth Night at The Apollo

Photography by: Marina Bussandri

This production of Twelfth Night was on at the Apollo theatre in London and I saw it in February. 

Overall the show was incredibly enjoyable and both funny and moving. It was done with a traditional all male cast, as in Victorian times. 

Men playing women: Although the play was authentic in terms of a Shakespearean portrayal (all male cast) it consequently lacked realism. However because the acting was convincing, in fact throughout most of the play, I found myself forgetting that they weren't women. Instead they just seemed liked animated characters, mostly due to the female voices they put on which were overly 'feminine'. Changing the pitch of their voice as well as inhabiting female mannerisms and movements made them become immediately more credible. 

The costumes were authentic, credible and consequently validated the performance. The costumes also aided in distinguishing the male actors playing female roles with the male actors playing male roles. The restriction of movement as a result of the elaborate female costumes helped the male actors to move in a feminine and more elegant way. Hair and make-up also added to the richer context and visual feast of this show. Matching wigs and costumes for the characters of Viola and Sebastian definitely added to the illusion in the play as well as helping the audience to follow the plot. 

The stage crew, although in costume whilst moving props and parts of the set on and off of the stage, still were distracting. Their movements were sharp, deliberate, purposeful, blank faces. Consequently there was a clear distinction between the play's characters and set crew which could be a good or bad thing. By dressing them in a sort of period costume it gave the impression that the director wanted them to blend in however they were still noticeable and distracting. It is interesting to think about whether moving set on and off stage would have been more effective if the stage crew acted like background artist. 

The sides of the stage had about 4-6 rows of audience (about 6-8 people per row). They were seated in wooden 'stalls' which matched the style and materials used for the rest of the set. These audience members aided the comedy aspect as every now and again characters interacted with them. For example, asking the audience member for alcohol and cheers-ing with them. As a result of the audience on stage the illusion of a realistic play, the feeling of spying on these scenes, as if they were really happening, was definitely affected. Almost like in a traverse stage you can see the other audience members, bringing you back to the reality of where you are (the theatre) and breaking the story you are watching. On the other hand, the enjoyment of theatre does not have to make you 'escape' from reality it can be just as enjoyable to experience a play, knowing that's what you are doing. 

Overall I really enjoyed this production of Twelfth Night. Mark Rylance's performance as Olivia was just incredible, truly inspiring, and had me laughing from beginning to end. The whole show was well choreographed/ blocked and incredibly funny.