TWELFTH NIGHT (Sofa Shakespeare)****

 

By Cal

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkh5RS_7eaI

Available until: Unknown, but this video has been up for five months and the oldest videos have been up for six months. Aashiq says you should take from that ‘What You Will’.

There are probably only so many ways you can say how wonderful these Sofa Shakespeare productions are – but at the same time, you can’t say it too many times. It’s definitely not a case of ‘seen one, seen them all’.

I think these plays aren’t just fun, they could actually help people. If anyone’s having trouble believing Shakespeare is fun or versatile or they think Shakespeare isn’t for them, I’m so glad that I know about these productions and that I will (if they’re still available) have them as an option for opening people up to Shakespeare. Also, if I think someone is taking Shakespeare a little bit too seriously and inflexibly, it might help them to see genuinely talented Shakespeare actors finding the fun in Shakespeare. Whether you know the play well enough to follow the story or if you only know it well enough to enjoy each scene individually, I think these shows will have something for you.

There are some really talented performers in Twelfth Night, giving brilliant readings, but a big part of what I love about this series is the imagination they bring to it. Orsino’s ‘If Music Be the Food of Love’ has a slightly different meaning when he’s examining his vinyl collection. One of the Malvolios is ingeniously-imprisoned. There was also a Malvolio dressed in an unexpected but very familiar costume.

A lot of the actors get really creative with costumes and props. I think Feste and Maria were using their phones to read the script, but the sight of two people talking to each other, each with a phone surgically attached to their hand, is such a familiar one, the presence of the phones really added to the scene. There’s one glamorous Olivia with an amazing purple hat and another eating junk food, as so many people do when they’re sad. There’s also a wonderful shot where Viola holds a ring up to the camera and she is seen through the ring. Maria appears in a robe and face mask (the skincare type, not the coronavirus type) and the scene works so well with the idea she’s been disturbed mid-pamper.

Speaking of food, Viola and Olivia are lovely carrots. Olivia’s hair is especially impressive. Orsino the pumpkin (in another scene) is great too.

The scenes including pets and toys are always fun. Cats are especially great for a facial expression – they do ‘unimpressed’ particularly well! There was one scene, I think with Olivia, Feste and Sir Toby, where all the cats had knitted outfits, including hats. It looks great! There’s also a moment where Sir Toby lifts his head and it doesn’t sound that interesting written down, but the timing is just PERFECT. There’s also an Olivia who is a pink flamingo (and reminds me of Aashiq for some reason) and her Viola is a dog (a literal pet dog), who looks RIGHT at the camera when she says ‘Farewell, fair cruelty’.

Some of the scenes involving pets/toys also have human actors. This gives a brilliant contrast between the animal craziness and some seriously good Shakespearean acting. There’s a really moving human Olivia with a puppet Viola, which works especially well as Viola is pretending to be Cesario and is, in a sense, less real than Olivia.

The pets and toys can also do a great job of helping you to sympathise with some of the less likeable characters. I’ve never been that keen on Maria and Sir Toby, for example, but I just couldn’t hate Maria the monkey and Sir Toby the dog. There’s also a Maria who is an absolutely adorable (live) guinea pig.

A lot of children appear in this video and they’re always great. So many of them speak Shakespeare’s lines with impressive clarity and understanding, while others completely upstage their adult co-stars by being so much cuter than them. There’s a young Feste and Olivia scene with really great costumes and an Orsino and Antonio who dress up as pirates.

There are also loads of brilliant Malvolios. He’s played in lots of different ways, which really shows how versatile the character is. I won’t say what happens when he first appears cross-gartered, but it’s so effective.

There’s also one where a magnificently-costumed Feste and Sebastian are talking outside and a car goes by and I couldn’t help wondering what the driver thought. There really is so much to enjoy and I haven’t mentioned even half the scenes I made notes on when I was watching.

Twelfth Night is one of Shakespeare’s most musical plays and the cast have taken full advantage, whether the music is in the background or sung and played by the actors. There’s a Feste who sings and plays the harp, serious talent. There’s also a scene with two Festes, one speaks the words as the other sings and plays the piano and it works so well. Another Feste plays a (hidden) instrument which I think is a ukulele and the singing over the closing credits is brilliant.

And the best thing? There are loads I haven’t watched yet.