Enjoy a Midsummer Twelfth Night’s Dream

9:23am Tuesday 1st July 2008

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It could be Ilyria; the setting is certainly delightful enough for it. The timing is a little off; June instead of December.

I am talking about the current production of Twelfth Night at Regents Park Open Air Theatre.

I have a soft spot for Twelfth Night, dating back to school and college and was looking forward to my first visit to this theatre.

The theatre didn’t disappoint, but the performance did, at least to begin with.

Twelfth Night admittedly does take a little time to set the scene and the relationships between the characters, but the almost frenetic behaviour of Natalie Drew as Viola in the opening scene as she scuttled round and round the stage on hands and knees, didn't bode too well for the rest of the play It wasn’t until Sir Toby Belch (Tim Woodward) and his cohorts Sir Andrew Aguecheek (Clive Hayward), Maria (Claire Benedict and Feste (Clive Rowe) appeared that things began to improve.

Clive Rowe was one of the best Festes I have ever seen, a true clown with the vocal dexterity of a Robin Williams and he lit up the stage with every appearance.

The second half was played in faster and more confident fashion as the love triangle between Orsino (Oscar Pearce), Olivia (Janie Dee) and Viola/Cesario, complicated by the arrival of Viola’s twin brother Sebastian (Neet Mohan) proceeded apace.

Meanwhile the Maria-inspired plot against Malvolio (Richard O’Callaghan) drove the proud steward to a pitiful state on the edge of insanity.

The final scene where all is revealed and resolved has always been a masterpiece of writing and the interpretation here redeemed this production completely, Feste adding his mark with a haunting closing song.

It was the comic characters who stole this show, particularly Feste and a very up-front and dominant Maria, given more reign than normal by the director, to excellent effect.

The battle between an affronted yet cowardly Sir Andrew and an equally-frightened Viola was one of the high points of the show.

It was a first night performance and the cast, although they began nervously, did eventually warm to the occasion, sending a large and contented audience homeward-bound across the park.