Article Written by Breanna Smith.
Twelfth Night is a play that was first performed in 1602, and over 400 years later it is still being performed. One of the most recent performances is currently being performed at the QPAC Playhouse by the Queensland Theatre group. This play, full of confusion and love, is a long-told tale that still brings much joy to the audience when viewed for the first time.
The synopsis of the play is relatively simple. Orsino, Duke of Illyria, is in love with the Countess Olivia. She has forsworn men's company while she mourns the death of her brother, and is refusing all of his advances. Nearby, Viola, a young woman, laments the loss of her twin brother after being shipwrecked but resolves to fend for herself by dressing as a boy and working as a page to Duke Orsino (Queensland Theatre). In much simpler terms, Orsino is in love with Olivia who has sworn off men after her brother's death. Meanwhile, Viola starts working for Orsino dressed as a boy after the death of her brother and falls in love with Orsino, her boss, while gaining the attention and love of Countess Olivia who does not know of the truth.
It is an interesting play, the performance having two Auslan interpreters so that all could enjoy the performance. While I only understood a small amount of Auslan, it seemed smart to have two interpreters present to share the story in a more accurate way.
You are quickly taken into the world of the story after the characters and the world are explained. You are brought into all of the sets. The stage is made up of a revolving stage with all of the sets on it, all of them interconnecting. This allows for the story to begin. Even when the story divides and each part is set within a different location, all parts of the story still manage to connect. We are introduced to the set in the first song. The stage turns and the characters interact with each other, showing us their motives and behaviour. The music by Tim Finn fits the story well, not just the lyrics but the tone as well. Both suit the beginning of the story, the beautiful harmonies changing as needed to create atmosphere.
The play carries on, introducing characters and their relations to each other. When first hearing the strong Shakespearian English, it can take time to comprehend clearly. The actions accompany the words with ease, though initially we are not prepared to be brought into the world of Shakespeare. The songs also help by slowing down and simplifying the wording. When exiting songs take place, those watching grow more accustomed to the phrasing. One song, Keeping Up, is at first out of place, though it soon becomes clearer to understand with the repeated performance of it. An example of this in use is how the characters of Sir Andrew Aguecheek, Feste, Sir Toby Belch and Maria reveal their dislike of Malvolio, who they soon plot together to make a fool of.
We quickly see how they regard each other; their disdain, their favour, their love. This is all learnt, most of the time, through words first, then in a song for reinforcement. We ultimately get to see the love held for each other from Viola's love of Orsino, Orsino’s love of Countess Olivia and Countess Olivia’s love of Viola as a man. The commonly held view of those who live in Countess Olivia’s household is that Malvolio is a strict, straight-laced person who daydreams of a higher station in life. This is shown later in a scene where a trap is placed so she may make a fool of herself. The particular scene shows her dreaming an unlikely daydream, talking to herself. Those around her observe this behaviour, something that is unseen to her but perceived by the audience. We eventually see that it is not to happen and it is merely a trick. Malvolio does wish to believe her daydreams are real which leads her to fall unknowingly into the trap.
It may be helpful to note that Malvolio's character's gender has been changed from the original Malvolio. Fortunately, it does not take away from the story. If anything, this character adjustment allows Countess Olivia's turn from men to be considered more authentic as none of her staff are males and those who live in the house are related, family friends or trying to marry her.
After intermission, we see Countess Olivia's interest in Cesario, the male name Viola now goes by, grow into love. An additional meaning is added to the script throughout the play. Meaning is added with the mouthing of words. Though no words are spoken, we see clearly what their thoughts and wants are. Where the relation had been seen between Countess Olivia and Cesario (Viola), it is no longer one of simple curiosity, but a need to find out more on the one she loves. For Viola, we see there is no chance of this, as she is dragged away with Countess Olivia prompting the band to play. We see her mouth the words "Help me," making it clear the panic she feels even with her speaking well and trying to be polite. We see this later in the script when (spoilers for a 400-year-old play) Sebastian is not able to believe his luck at this world to meet Countess Olivia who, having known Cesario (Viola), thinks this is him and wishes to bed and wed him. Which he happily complies to, leading to the happy ending of the play.
Another wise choice was to have the band on stage in the set. By doing this, they are a part of the story and are able to react immediately to characters' lines and prompts as it is a large part of the story. Often songs are started and ended in reaction to the behaviour of the characters. This also allows for the band to stand in for smaller characters, instead of the actors who play the main characters, since they play for the whole script and it would draw attention away from the central focus of the story.
Overall, the story is set in a timeless era. While the words are old, the sets are more modern with a coastal feel. Outfits are modern with hints of times already past for those of a formal position, such as police or those of formal power. A dark, elegant gown for Countess Olivia is from the past yet instead of a veil, a hood and sunglasses are used. Later, when she falls in love and her heart is lightening, she switches to a white pantsuit, something worn today.
While the whole play was performed wonderfully, I must confess my one fault with the play. Viola and Sebastian have a difference in looks. Many times, it is said in the script and in this play that these two characters look alike and many have mentioned this. These two look so alike that they would be easy to confuse if they dress the same. Viola, dressing as a man, is based on this. However, when we see them next to each other there is a head height of difference. When performing earlier in the show, we can pass off the height difference as nothing since in the set, the stage is at a slightly higher level. It is understood that, without requesting for siblings to perform the character roles, they will not look completely alike. While hair colour and eye colour can most often be used to tell relation, it is not a must on stage. We don't always see these details and it will not break the story as it is said they look the same but not how this is true. But for this story, they must be mistaken for each other and height is a major factor with this.
On reflection, it is a wonderful play even with the small errors. An example of such an error was a person hiding behind a piano, leading to Sir Toby grinning wildly. The uses of the Assistant Stage Manager in helping Malvolio onto a piano during a marvellous performance was another error. Malvolio was disguised in a maid outfit but with blue hair, leading her to be more noticeable instead of blending in. She was happily smiling about the fantastic performance before ducking offstage to later remove props in plain sight, while still wearing the headset. I loved seeing these small parts as it adds to the joy of the performance, separating and elevating it from a simple recording of a performance since each production is different from the production before. While some may not notice these small things, they bring joy to the performance for me and add to it as well.
Queensland Theatre's Twelfth Night is showing from the 28th of April the 19th of May at the Playhouse, QPAC.
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