It was funny, heartfelt and, most of all, a really impressive watch
Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare was performed by BMH Productions at the Oxford Castle as part of Oxford’s Summer Shakespeare Festival. The play tells the comedic story of a pair of twins who get separated in a storm and Viola, dressed as Cesario, pretends to be brother in order to serve in Duke Orsino’s court. Meanwhile, she gets tangled in problematic situations where love and hidden disguises do not mix. The show was performed by a fairly small yet extremely talented cast of actors and actor-musicians.
The atmosphere was brought to life having been performed in an open-air theatre. It immersed its audience in the environment and allowed the actors to engage with the audience in a humorous and witty way. Overall, the projection of the cast was very good however some words were lost occasionally due to the wind. The blocking of the scenes was very successful and made the story easy to follow, which is always a key part of any Shakespearean play. Twelfth Night was directed by Kate O’Connor who had a clear vision of how the play would be interpreted by its cast. This included a slightly modern take including song and ukulele playing by the brilliant Nicola Jones with powerful vocals from Ed Blagrove. The set was simple and subtly hinted to Illyria and the waves of the sea.
Photography by Simon Vail
Each of the actors had unique interpretations of their characters that elevated their performances because of their specific character choices. The costume design didn’t overpower the acting which was very effective. The fight choreography was excellently choreographed and executed well by the cast. It created cool shapes that were exciting to watch. The cast had a solid grasp of the text which was brilliant as the comedy landed with the audience, especially Alistair Nunn who played Malvolio and made the audience crack up with laughter in his scene dressed up in yellow stockings.
Overall, it was a brilliant play and showcased some of the extraordinary talent we have here in Oxford. It was funny, heartfelt and most of all a really impressive watch. The show is being performed at the Oxford Castle until the 5th of July. It is not one to be missed!