Twelfth Night
One of Shakespeare’s more wintry productions, Twelfth Night, directed by Prasanna Puwanarajah, has arrived at the iconic cultural venue, The Barbican. This production by The RSC was originally staged at their home in Stratford upon Avon. Now, with some returning players, namely Gwyneth Keyworth (Viola), Freema Agyeman (Olivia) and Samuel West (Malvolio), alongside other seasoned actors, it brings laughs, mishaps and more.
The story of Twelfth Night, like much of Shakespeare’s canon, has been revamped many times. One of the most famous modern versions is She's the Man, the 2006 romantic comedy by Andy Fickman starring Amanda Bynes and Channing Tatum. For me, that film was my first introduction to Viola’s undercover mission and the highs and lows of holding onto a lie. But this new production from the RSC proves there is nothing that hits like the original, especially when there are gorgeous sets, emotional music and a fantastic use of the colour yellow.
The story follows two separated twins, Viola and Sebastian. Viola lands in Illyria and believes her brother lost to the waves. In an attempt to survive as a lone woman, she becomes a male servant, Cesario, under Duke Orsino. Orsino is very much in love with Countess Olivia, who ends up falling for Cesario. This is where the chaos begins. Add in some pranks by Olivia’s household, her uncle Sir Toby Belch and Sir Andrew Aguecheek, with the servant Maria, targeting the grating and doting steward Malvolio, and you have all the story beats for a good night.
The stage at the Barbican is unlike other “normal” stages. Known for its brutalist architecture, side doors that shut at once and metal safety curtain, it is a demanding space. This might, however, be the right show for it. The set is simple; at most there is an impressive organ, which doubles as a forest for our pranksters, a fun and inventive choice. While the set design by James Cotterill was simple, it was also gothic and leaned into the humour and melodrama the characters face. Cotterill also designed costumes which did a lot of the heavy lifting to add laughs, from Malvolio's infamous yellow stockings to Michael Grady-Hall’s (Feste) fantastic yellow and black jester’s outfit. There were moments of Christmas, but it felt tasteful rather than a full on pantomime.
Despite being a comedy, Puwanarajah directs as if this is perhaps the most serious play in the world, which means it is also hilarious. Our players say what they mean and mean what they say. Declarations of love are pure; interactions with the audience are truthful. A standout for me is Grady-Hall: a joker, a jester, but also an emotional rock. We almost follow them like ghosts. They play in the interval with audience members with such fine art to clowning. Grady-Hall is worth getting a ticket for alone. They descend from the rafters singing; they are friends to all, yet we know not much about them except that they see it all, feel it all, and sing beautifully. This is only matched by powerhouses such as Agyeman as Olivia, who strides, lusts and so badly wants to be loved. The fool of love, Daniel Monks (Orsino), is the Duke that anyone can love, charming and love sick. We want good for these characters; in short moments of being with them, we root for them. The twins, Rhys Rusbatch (Sebastian) and Keyworth, both give equally worthwhile performances. I can see why the characters in the play get confused; they do have a resemblance but offer different qualities, both valued and both pushing the audience to care.
Music was composed by Matt Maltese, known for his indie pop. I have been a fan and was taken aback by this bold and laid back direction, given the seriousness of the piece, but I was pleasantly surprised. The music was lush and rich. Revamping some of the iconic known songs into something new was a bold move but paid off. Paired with the soulful voice of Grady-Hall, the end of the show was perfect: emotional, hopeful and with a touch of magic.
This show was reviewed on the 16th December at the Barbican Theatre, London where it runs until the 17th January 2026. Tickets available here: Twelfth Night | Barbican
Review written by Mary Condon O'Connor
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Photo credit: Helen Murray
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