Review: TWELFTH NIGHT, Chandler Studio Theatre

The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland second-year BA Acting cohort present a welcome genderfluid adaptation of Shakespeare’s queerest comedy. It is an engaging lens, although a clichéd ending left me wanting more.

After a shipwreck, siblings Viola and Sebastian both believe the other is dead. Mourning her brother, Viola disguises herself as Duke Orsino’s new manservant, calling herself Cesario. Viola falls for Orsino, who likes Olivia, who likes Cesario, who is actually Viola. Meanwhile Olivia’s servant Malvolio is the butt of a cruel joke, convinced Olivia is in love with her. An intimate theatre-in-the-round gives the cast nowhere to hide, yet they fully deliver. Grandiose Shakespearean verse is cleverly interlaced with modernised inflections making many parts easier to understand.

Music is indeed the food of love, and Israela Efomi is the epitome of this. Playing Feste the fool, her charmingly enchanting voice guides us through the tale accompanied by live music played by the multi-talented cast. Mia Dinitzen’s Olivia is quaint and poised, humorously evolving into a lovesick mess as the play progresses. Dmitry Everdeen is strongly convincing as the boisterous Sir Toby Belch, well complimented by Blanche Morenville's more uptight Maria.

However, it is undoubtedly Livie Dalee’s Malvolio who steals the show. She is absolutely hilarious sparking constant laughter, cleverly morphing from an uptight puritan to an infatuated dupe to a vulnerable, powerful victim. Making Malvolio female is an interesting directorial decision from Kolbrún Björt Sigfúsdóttir. I pondered what her gender changes about the character – for me, it sparked more sympathy at the end. It felt like, on top of everything else, she was being punished for her queerness.

Portraying sea captain Antonio as in love with Sebastian is another interesting choice. What seems like a budding relationship is destroyed by Sebastian's pressure to pursue a heterosexual marriage. Viola reveals her true identity, yet Sebastian pushes his true self away by marrying a stranger. Darragh Kemish’s Antonio cleverly enforces this message – he stands in the background looking sadly at his love get married, causing me to question whether this is indeed a happy ending after all.

If you are familiar with the play, you will enjoy it. If you are not, you will still enjoy it but I do recommend quickly Googling a plot summary beforehand.

Twelfth Night is at the Chandler Studio Theatre until 8 February

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