Some are born great; some achieve greatness; and some have greatness thrust upon them. You'd think it would come from a history play. It's from Twelfth Night. Similarly, some men are born to play women; some men achieve the ability to play women; and some men have women's roles thrust upon them. It comes across as really sad when it's the third one.
Reprising the quadricentennial production ten years later, Mark Rylance and the boys are back in an all male production of Twelfth Night. Ten years later, a lot of the men are too old to be playing women. Mark Rylance is a great actor and Olivia can be a very funny character, but Mark Rylance playing Olivia just seems pathetic. Quite frankly, he's too old. His mannerisms would be comical on a younger Orsino but come across as desperate when Rylance plays them. It's impossible to believe that Liam Brennan, who plays a fantastic Orsino, would be attracted to her, especially in her almost kabuki style makeup and incredibly severe wig. The production suffers from the hair and makeup design; Viola and Sebastian are made to look more alike through makeup and wigs, but they end up looking like ghosts wearing hair pieces made of yarn. It also suffers a little as a result of casting. The actors playing Viola and Sebastian should be switched. The actor playing Sebastian, Samuel Barnett, looks much more feminine and is honestly a better actor. Johnny Flynn, Viola, looks uncomfortable on stage (he takes some strange beats and conspicuously watches his feet during the dancing) and disconcertingly mannish. Then again, some men are born to play women. Or achieve that ability later in life. Either way, Paul Chahidi, who turns Maria into a plumply roguish figure forever eyeing Sir Toby with lascivious enthusiasm, does yield a very funny performance. Stephen Fry is almost too good as Malvolio; it's hard to believe that Olivia would spurn his advances.
The costume and set design are positively wonderful. Even though Mark Rylance's costume reads a little like the old version of Elizabeth I as portrayed in many movies, the outfits are fantastic. Jenny Tiramani's set – a decorated oak screen, with some of the audience seated in on-stage galleries – suits Twelfth Night wonderfully (it's being performed in rep with Richard III), and recreates the collegiate atmosphere the play must have had when seen at the Inns of Court in 1602.
It comes together into an alright production. Perhaps I'm ultimately questioning the directorial image of Tim Carroll. He chooses to play up the more sombre aspects of Twelfth Night, the longing for an unrequited love and class warfare, as opposed to the funnier aspects, namely mistaken identities and class warfare.
Reprising the quadricentennial production ten years later, Mark Rylance and the boys are back in an all male production of Twelfth Night. Ten years later, a lot of the men are too old to be playing women. Mark Rylance is a great actor and Olivia can be a very funny character, but Mark Rylance playing Olivia just seems pathetic. Quite frankly, he's too old. His mannerisms would be comical on a younger Orsino but come across as desperate when Rylance plays them. It's impossible to believe that Liam Brennan, who plays a fantastic Orsino, would be attracted to her, especially in her almost kabuki style makeup and incredibly severe wig. The production suffers from the hair and makeup design; Viola and Sebastian are made to look more alike through makeup and wigs, but they end up looking like ghosts wearing hair pieces made of yarn. It also suffers a little as a result of casting. The actors playing Viola and Sebastian should be switched. The actor playing Sebastian, Samuel Barnett, looks much more feminine and is honestly a better actor. Johnny Flynn, Viola, looks uncomfortable on stage (he takes some strange beats and conspicuously watches his feet during the dancing) and disconcertingly mannish. Then again, some men are born to play women. Or achieve that ability later in life. Either way, Paul Chahidi, who turns Maria into a plumply roguish figure forever eyeing Sir Toby with lascivious enthusiasm, does yield a very funny performance. Stephen Fry is almost too good as Malvolio; it's hard to believe that Olivia would spurn his advances.
The costume and set design are positively wonderful. Even though Mark Rylance's costume reads a little like the old version of Elizabeth I as portrayed in many movies, the outfits are fantastic. Jenny Tiramani's set – a decorated oak screen, with some of the audience seated in on-stage galleries – suits Twelfth Night wonderfully (it's being performed in rep with Richard III), and recreates the collegiate atmosphere the play must have had when seen at the Inns of Court in 1602.
It comes together into an alright production. Perhaps I'm ultimately questioning the directorial image of Tim Carroll. He chooses to play up the more sombre aspects of Twelfth Night, the longing for an unrequited love and class warfare, as opposed to the funnier aspects, namely mistaken identities and class warfare.
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