Play by William Shakespeare. Shipwrecked and fearing her identical twin brother dead, Viola is swept onto the shores of Illyria. Disguising herself as a boy, she takes a post in the Duke's court and, on his behalf, attempts to woo his loved one, the Lady Olivia. What began as an idle trick played on an unwitting drunk at a party in Padua, ends in bittersweet confusion on the island of Illyria. Over the course of the play, Shakespeare takes us on a journey that constantly reminds us that the opposite is always true.
1999 Open Air Theatre Regent's Park
2002 Barbican Theatre (Royal Shakespeare Company)
2002 The Shakespeare's Globe Theatre
2004 Noel Coward Theatre (Tara Arts)
2005 Open Air Theatre Regent's Park
2005 Novello Theatre (Royal Shakespeare Company)
2006 Barbican Theatre (Cheek-by-Jowl / Russian language)
2007 Old Vic Theatre (Propeller Theatre Company)
2008 Open Air Theatre Regent's Park
2008 Wyndham's Theatre (Donmar Warehouse)
2009 Duke Of York's Theatre (Royal Shakespeare Company)
2011 National Theatre's Cottesloe Theatre (now Dorfman Theatre)
2012 Roundhouse Theatre (Royal Shakespeare Company)
2012 Apollo Theatre (Shakespeare's Globe Theatre)
2014 Open Air Theatre Regent's Park
2017 National Theatre's Olivier Theatre
2017 Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre
1999 Open Air Theatre Regent's Park
Previewed 26 May 1999, Opened 4 June 1999, Closed 2 September 1999 (in repertory) at the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre
Set in England in the 1920s.
The cast featured Emily Hamilton as 'Viola', Ben Hicks as 'Sebastian', Harry Burton as 'Duke Orsino', Claire Carrie as 'Olivia', Christopher Godwin as 'Malvolio', Liz Crowther as 'Maria', Peter Forbes as 'Sir Toby Belch', Paul Raffield as 'Sir Andrew Aguecheek', and Gavin Muir as 'Feste', with Richard Addison, Natasha Bain, John Berlyne, Daniel Crowder, Sara Hillier, Simon McCoy, Vincent Penfold, Giles Taylor and Tony Whittle.
Directed by Rachel Kavanaugh with choreography by Lisa Kent, designs by David Knapman, lighting by Jason Taylor, music by Terry Davies, and sound by Simon Whitehorn.
2002 Barbican Theatre (Royal Shakespeare Company)
Previewed 18 December 2001, Opened 3 January 2002, Closed 9 March 2002 (in repertory) at the Barbican Theatre
Presented by the RSC.
The cast featured Zoe Waites as 'Viola', Ben Meyjes as 'Sebastian', Jo Stone-Fewings as 'Duke Orsino', Matilda Ziegler as 'Olivia', Guy Henry as 'Malvolio', Alison Fiske as 'Maria', Barry Stanton as 'Sir Toby Belch', Christopher Good as 'Sir Andrew Aguecheek', and Mark Hadfield as 'Feste', with Wayne Cater, Victoria Duarri, Joseph England, Giles Fagan, Sean Hannaway, David Hinton, Joseph Mydell, James Telfer and Penelope Woodman.
Directed by Lindsay Posner with movement by Jane Gibson, designs by Ashley Martin-Davis, lighting by Pat Collins, music by Gary Yershon, and sound by Mic Pool.
2002 The Shakespeare's Globe Theatre
Previewed 11 May 2002, Opened 22 May 2002, Closed 28 September 2002 (in repertory) at the Shakespeare's Globe Theatre
Returned 2 October 2003, Closed 12 October 2003 at the Shakespeare's Globe Theatre
An original practices production, exploring clothing, music and settings possible in 1602.
The original 2002 cast featured Michael Brown as 'Viola', Rhys Meredith as 'Sebastian', Liam Brennan as 'Duke Orsino', Mark Rylance as 'Olivia', Timothy Walker as 'Malvolio', Paul Chahidi as 'Maria', Bill Stewart as 'Sir Toby Belch', Albie Woodington as 'Sir Andrew Aguecheek', and Peter Hamilton Dyer as 'Feste', with Colin Hurley, Simon Hyde, Jan Knightley and Peter Shorey.
The returning 2003 cast featured Michael Brown as 'Viola', Rhys Meredith as 'Sebastian', Liam Brennan as 'Duke Orsino', and Mark Rylance as 'Olivia', with other cast members largely drawn from the original 2002 company.
Directed by Tim Carroll with choreogaphy by Sian Williams, movement by Glynn Macdonald, designs by Jenny Tiramani, and music by Claire Van Kampen and Keith McGowan.
2002 Donmar Warehouse Theatre
Previewed 11 October 2002, Opened 22 October 2002, Closed 30 November 2002 (in repertory at the Donmar Warehouse
The cast featured Emily Watson as 'Viola', Gyuri Sarossy as 'Sebastian', Mark Strong as 'Duke Orsino', Helen McCrory as 'Olivia', Simon Russell Beale as 'Malvolio', Selina Cadell as 'Maria', Paul Jesson as 'Sir Toby Belch', David Bradley as 'Sir Andrew Aguecheek', and Anthony O'Donnell as 'Feste', with Luke Jardine, Cherry Morris and Gary Powell.
Directed by Sam Mendes with sets by Anthony Ward, costumes by Mark Thompson, lighting by Hugh Vanstone, music by George Stiles, and sound by Paul Arditti.
Performed in repertory with Uncle Vanya, these two '10 Year Anniversary' productions - marking the first 10 years of the current Donmar Warehouse - where also Sam Mendes' last productions as the 'Artistic Director' of the Donmar Warehouse.
2004 Noel Coward Theatre (Tara Arts)
Previewed 18 August 2004, Opened 26 August 2004, Closed 30 October 2004 at the Noel Coward Theatre
Tara Art's present an Indian themed version of William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night in London directed by Stephen Beresford.
A monsoon, a shipwreck and that's just the beginning... As you have never seen it, Shakespeare's play comes to life on the shores of the Arabian Sea and the exuberant world of contemporary India, princes and servants, holy men and castaways are thrown together in a storm of confusion and mistaken identity.
The cast featured Shereen Martineau as 'Viola', Raaghav Chanana as 'Sebastian', Raza Jaffrey as 'Orsino', Neha Dubey as 'Olivia', Paul Bhattacharjee as 'Malvolio', Harvey Virdi as 'Maria', Shiv Grewal as 'Toby Belch', Paul Bazely as 'Andrew Aguecheek', and Kulvinder Ghir as 'Feste', with Sagar Arya, Amarjit Bassan, Joanna Burnett, Neil D'Souza, Shereen Martineau, Amit Shah and Kish Sharma.
Directed by Stephen Beresford with choreography by Chix Chandaria, designs by Jonathan Fensom, lighting by Jason Taylor, music by Sara Dhillon and sound by Fergus O'Hare.
"Turning Illyria into India circa 1970, this co-production by Tara Arts is certainly refreshing, and its opening scenes are arresting. Shereen Martineau's Viola, dressed in a sari, stumbles out of a torrential rainstorm clutching a suitcase... Martineau, who hitherto has only played small parts for the RSC, is worth her weight in gold. She speaks verse beautifully, with a gentle Indian accent and a subtle grasp of iambic pentameters' lyrical formality... Meanwhile, Raza Jaffrey invests Orsino with febrile, bitter frustration as he stews over his unrequited love for Olivia... This Indian version also works well when Olivia mourns her brother at a shrine adorned with garlands, and in the veiled ladies' scene where hints of caste barriers creep into Olivia's queries about the parentage of the attractive go-between... Unfortunately, those are the highlights. The ensemble's acting is uneven and sluggishly paced, with much of the comedy falling flat... Nice overall concept. Needs some more fine-tuning." The Independent on Sunday
"Stephen Beresford's production of Twelfth Night has an Indian cast, Indian colour scheme, and a great deal of Indian detail. But it offers a blend of cultures rather than a wholesale transposition... For the most part the mixture works beautifully. The production achieves a delicate balancing-act. It reminds us that cultures are very similar, and very different: there are universal passions and perennial social types, but they always have a local habitation and a distinctive flavour... Brisk though they are, the comic scenes are never allowed to overshadow the romance. Shereen Martineau makes a charming Viola. Raaghav Chanana is a sturdy Sebastian; Raza Jaffrey, a youngish and far from absurd Orsino. Neha Dubey's Olivia radiates sex appeal." The Sunday Telegraph
Twelfth Night in London at the Noel Coward Theatre previewed from 18 August 2004, opened on 26 August 2004 and closed on 30 October 2004.
2005 Open Air Theatre Regent's Park
Previewed 30 May 2005, Opened 6 June 2005, Closed 1 September 2005 (in repertory) at the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre
The cast featured Mariah Gale as 'Viola', James Millard as 'Sebastian', Daniel Flynn as 'Duke Orsino', Sirine Saba as 'Olivia', Martin Jarvis as 'Malvolio', Harriet Thorpe as 'Maria', Desmond Barrit as 'Sir Toby Belch', James Loye as 'Sir Andrew Aguecheek', and Simon Day as 'Feste', with Tobias Beer, Dominic Colchester, Tricia Crowe, Nicola Filshie, Dominic Marsh, Alastiar Parker, Scarlett Strallen, Giles Taylor, Simon Thomas, Terence Wilton and Rupert Young.
Directed by Timothy Sheader with designs by Jessica Curtis, lighting by Jason Taylor, music by Corin Buckendge, and sound by Gregory Clarke.
2005 Novello Theatre (Royal Shakespeare Company)
Previewed 8 December 2005, Opened 13 December 2005, Closed 31 December 2005 at the Novello Theatre in London
The Royal Shakespeare Company present William Shakespeare's comedy Twelfth Night in London directed by the RSC's Artistic Director Michael Boyd.
The cast featured Sally Tatum as 'Viola', Gurpreet Singh as 'Sebastian', Barnaby Kay as 'Duke Orsino', Aislin McGuckin as 'Olivia', Richard Cordery as 'Malvolio', Meg Fraser as 'Maria', Clive Wood as 'Sir Toby Belch', John MacKay as 'Sir Andrew Aguecheek', and Forbes Masson as 'Feste', with Peter Bygott, Eke Chukwu, Diveen Henry, Neil McKinven, Alan Morrissey, Christopher Obi, Barrie Palmer, Christopher Robert and Kevin Trainor.
Directed by Michael Boyd with movement by Liz Ranken, aerial movement by Gavin Marshall, designs by Tom Piper, lighting by Vince Herbert, music by John Woolf and Sianed Jones, and sound by Andrea J. Cox. This production comes into London's West End following a season at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon in April 2005.
"Michael Boyd's Twelfth Night is a holiday. Whatever the cares of running the Royal Shakespeare Company, he seems to have shrugged them off in this production. It's fresh, funny, poignant and uses jazz to wonderful effect. I loved it. Feste resembles a young George Melly in his checked suit. Music is not the food of love but, for those starved of love, it's the best substitute going... The final bouquet must go to Gavin Marshall, director of 'aerial movement'. Pigs may not fly but, in this production, pianos, music stands and people do. Love can knock anyone off their feet." The Observer
"Michael Boyd...has an extraordinary gift for conceiving Shakespeare in terms of richly three-dimensional space and visual motifs...watching his new RSC modern-dress account of Twelfth Night, I felt that gift again" The Financial Times
"You know at once that something is wrong. Duke Orsino, a thuggish playboy whose voice and body language strongly suggest he needs counselling. is listening to a pop band. Then an upright piano and the music stands are flown up, and hover up there for the rest of the play... The strategy behind Michael Boyd's production is clear. This play needs revving up. We need speed. We need gags. We don't do posh. Irony and social nuances are out. WS is a people's playwright." The Sunday Times
RSC's Twelfth Night in London at the Novello Theatre previewed from 8 December 2005, opened on 13 December 2005 and closed on 31 December 2005.
2006 Barbican Theatre (Cheek-by-Jowl / Russian language)
Opened 13 June 2006, Closed 17 June 2006 at the Barbican Theatre
Presented by Cheek by Jowl in an all-male production, set in the 1920s and performed in Russian, with English surtitles.
The cast featured Andrei Kuzitchev as 'Viola', Sergey Mukhin as 'Sebastian', Vladimir Vdovichenkov as 'Duke Orsino', Alexei Dadanov as 'Olivia', Dmitry Scherbina as 'Malvolio', Ilia Ilin as 'Maria', Alexander Feklistov as 'Sir Toby Belch', Dmitry Dyuzhev as 'Sir Andrew Aguecheek', and Evgeny Pisarev as 'Feste', with Vsevolod Boldin, Mikhail Dementiev, Yury Makeev and Mikhail Zhigalov.
Directed by Declan Donnellan with choreography by Jane Gibson, movement by Albert Albert, designs by Nick Ormerod, lighting by Judith Greenwood, and music by Vladimir Pankov and Alexander Gusev.
2007 Old Vic Theatre (Propeller Theatre Company)
Previewed 5 January 2007, Opened 17 January 2007, Closed 17 February 2007 at the Old Vic Theatre in London
The critically acclaimed all-male company, Propeller Theatre Company present Shakespeare's comedy Twelfth Night in a production directed by Edward Hall with designs by Michael Pavelka and lighting by Ben Ormerod. Performed in repertory with The Taming of the Shrew.
The cast featured Tam Williams as 'Viola', Joe Flynn as 'Sebastian', Jack Tarlton as 'Duke Orsino', Dugald Bruce-Lockhart as 'Olivia', Bob Barrett as 'Malvolio', Chrys Myles as 'Maria', Jason Baughan as 'Sir Toby Belch', Simon Scardifield as 'Sir Andrew Agucheek', and Tony Bell as 'Feste', with Alasdair Craig, Tom McDonald, Dominic Tighe and Jon Trenchard.
Directed by Edward Hall with designs by Michael Pavelka and lighting by Ben Ormerod.
Propeller Theatre Company's other London theatre productions include A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Harold Pinter Theatre in 2003, and Rose Rage (two-part adaptation of the Henry VI trilogy) at the Haymarket Theatre in 2002.
"Pairing The Taming of the Shrew with Twelfth Night is a brilliant idea. Both plays are about play-acting. Personalities are born or acquired, or thrust upon the needy or the unwary. The birth or rebirth of a real personality, the recognition of others and oneself, are the bright materials of both plays... This production [of Twelfth Night] brings the best out of Hall. It is both a punk dream and a Renaissance entertainment. An all-male cast makes much more sense here: this play is about love and sexuality, as opposed to lust and gender." The Sunday Times
"Both plays share the same cast, the same set and the same dramatic devices - the cast [are] skilled all-round performers to their toes... The set (two wardrobes and a chest of drawers), used so resourcefully and wittily in The Taming of the Shrew, becomes a series of lumbering props to be shifted round the stage; and the exuberant use of music becomes an irritating side-line. The sense of the decadent aftermath of Christmas festivities is well evoked... but the production lacks bite. The revellers never capture our sympathy, and without it there's no sting in the tail when they, and, by extension we, the audience, are discovered for the bullies we have been." The Sunday Telegraph
"On a dreamy set filled with mirrored wardrobes, Edward Hall accentuates the play's surreal qualities and the fact that it is stuffed with couples whose relationships-find distorted reflections in those of others around them. Moreover, when they are not required, this fabulously talented and versatile band become a sort of chorus, observing the action from behind a face mask, and commenting by producing atmospheric sound effects. But the real strength of this absorbing, intelligent, ensemble performance comes from the company's acute alertness to the characters' sexual ambiguities, for none of them is quite whom he or she seems to be. At the play's emotional centre is the wonderful Tam Williams's extremely affecting Viola. Already a man play-acting a young woman, she is forced into having to disguise 'herself' as a page, Cesario. 'She' falls madly in love with her master, Duke Orsino, and has to cope with being the object of Countess Olivia's affection. Williams perfectly captures her perplexed state of mind. Tony Bell's exceptional Fool presides over the action with splendidly mellifluous melancholy. Funny, moving and magical." The Mail on Sunday
Twelfth Night in London at the Old Vic Theatre previewed from 5 January 2007, opened on 17 January 2007 and closed on 17 February 2007.
2008 Open Air Theatre Regent's Park
Previewed 4 June 2008, Opened 13 June 2008, Closed 30 July 2008 at the Open Air Theatre
A 1920s Jazz-era interpretation of Shakespeare's play.
The cast featured Natalie Dew as 'Viola', Neet Mohan as 'Sebastian', Oscar Pearce as 'Duke Orsino', Janie Dee as 'Olivia', Richard O'Callaghan as 'Malvolio', Claire Benedict as 'Maria', Tim Woodward as 'Sir Toby Belch', Clive Hayward as 'Sir Andrew Aguecheek', and Clive Rowe as 'Feste', with Jennifer Bryden, Richard Cotton, Andy Cryer, Ben Ingles, Harry Myers, Annalisa Rossi, Marcello Walton, David Whitworth and Leon Williams.
Directed by Edward Dick with movement by Jane Gibson, sets by Robert Innes Hopkins, costumes by Fotini Dimou, lighting by Simon Mills, music by Dominic Muldowney, and sound by Fergus O'Hare.
2008 Wyndham's Theatre (Donmar Warehouse)
Previewed 5 December 2008, Opened 10 December 2008, Closed 7 March 2009 at the Wyndham's Theatre
The Donmar Warehouse present William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night in London in a production directed by Michael Grandage and starring Derek Jacobi.
The cast featured Victoria Hamilton as 'Viola', Alex Waldmann as 'Sebastian', Mark Bonnar as 'Duke of Orsino', Indira Varma as 'Olivia', Derek Jacobi as 'Malvolio', Samantha Spiro as 'Maria', Ron Cook as 'Sir Toby Belch', Guy Henry as 'Sir Andrew Aguecheek', and Zubin Varla as 'Feste', with Norman Bowman, Ian Drysdale, James Howard and Lloyd Hutchinson.
Directed by Michael Grandage with choreography by Ben Wright, designs by Christopher Oram, lighting by Neil Austin, music by Juian Philips, and sound by Fergus O'Hare.
Derek Jacobi's London theatre credits include A Voyage Round My Father (Wyndham's Theatre 2006), Don Carlos (Gielgud Theatre 2005), and Richard II (Phoenix Theatre 1988).
"You're never going to forget that Derek Jacobi is Derek Jacobi, and this is certainly true of his Malvolio here. His rich, fruity, worldly tones seem at odds with the stiff, uncomfortable, desiccated, pleasure-hating character of the steward. When he appears in those famous cross-gartered yellow stockings, however, along with a blazer and baggy white shorts, the effect is as ridiculously funny as ever, and his attempts to manage a smile are uproarious. The director, Michael Grandage, handles the transition from laughter to pity with masterful ease. By the time Malvolio is penned in an underground cell, pleading for his release and protesting that he has been notoriously abused, we have ceased to find much humour in his continued torment... Christopher Oram's set is the best of its kind, lovely to look at yet never intruding or distracting from the text, the most musical and melodious Shakespeare ever wrote." The Sunday Times
"Michael Grandage has done it again. With another brilliant choice of play, an impeccable cast and an inspired production, the man's a directorial genius. Christopher Oram's set locates the play in a vaguely Mediterranean coastal town where a haughty, raven-haired Indira Varma as the Countess Olivia is every inch a Goya madonna in full mourning glory following her brother's death. Shipwrecked twin Viola, like the heroine of a lush Fifties Hollywood film, with her glorious gown of glimmering water-coloured taffeta miraculously dry, is rescued from the sea by a sailor... Derek Jacobi's Malvolio, the steward tricked into believing Olivia adores him and into thrusting his imagined greatness upon her, sounds spookily like John Gielgud. Pricelessly funny when all puffed up, he is pitiable in his soiled yellow garters, physically and mentally punctured by his humiliation. A stellar performance and a night to treasure." The Mail on Sunday
Presented as the second production of the Donmar Warehouse Season at the Wyndham's Theatre which runs from September 2008 to August 2009 and comprises of three other plays: Anton Chekhov's Ivanov, Yukio Mishima's Madame de Sade and William Shakespeare's Hamlet.
Twelfth Night in London at the Wyndham's Theatre previewed from 5 December 2008, opened on 10 December 2008 and closed on 7 March 2009.
2009 Duke Of York's Theatre (Royal Shakespeare Company)
Previewed 19 December 2009, Opened 22 December 2009, Closed 27 February 2010 at the Duke of York's Theatre in London.
The Royal Shakespeare Company presents William Shakespeare's darkly comic play Twelfth Night featuring Richard Wilson in his RSC debut playing 'Malvolio' and directed by Gregory Doran.
Everyone is looking for love - some in impossible places. Some mourn the love they have lost. Some long for love they are refused. In Illyria love aches and madness rules.
The cast featured Nancy Carroll as 'Viola', Sam Alexander as 'Sebastian', Jo Stone-Fewings as 'Duke Orsino', Alexandra Gilbreath as 'Olivia', Richard Wilson as 'Malvolio', Pamela Nomvete as 'Maria', Richard McCabe as 'Sir Toby Belch', James Fleet as Sir Andrew Aguecheek', and Milton Yerolemou as 'Feste', with Ian Abeysekera, Laurence Dobiesz, Alan Francis, Tony Jayawardena, Simeon Moore, Demi Oyediran, Prasanna Puwanarajah, Ashley Taylor-Rhys and Maya Wasowicz.
Directed by Gregory Doran with movement by Struan Leslie, designs by Robert Jones, lighting by Tim Mitchell, music by Paul Englishby, and sound by Martin Slavin. This production was originally seen at the Royal Shakespeare Company's Courtyard Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon in October 2009.
"It must have seemed such a wheeze to cast the nation's most famous and most beloved grumpy old man in the role of Shakespeare's grouchiest character in the enchanting comedy of errors Twelfth Night. Richard Wilson plays Malvolio - the snooty, killjoy steward in the household of Countess Olivia - who is forever harrumphing about the rowdy behaviour of the permanently drunk slob Sir Toby Belch and his foppish drinking partner Sir Andrew Aguecheek. As it turns out, Wilson is the weakest link in Greg Doran's fitfully charming new revival... There's little more to his performance than a nasal and constipated bark of disdain. Even his yellow stockings are more hideous than ridiculous and he fails entirely to make one care when his persecutors shut him up in the dark... Fortunately, there is plenty to delight elsewhere, not least Robert Jones's atmospheric, sun-baked set of honey-coloured walls... Nancy Carroll is a lovely, earnest Viola, touchingly fretful and flustered by her hopeless position in which she's disguised as a man and besotted with the Duke, her master, played by Jo Stone-Fewings as a Byronic figure luxuriating in his infatuation. Miltos Yerolemou's Feste the fool cheekily draws out Olivia's sense of fun by teasingly calling her 'Mad Donna', and Alexandra Gilbreath is a strikingly playful and merry Countess. Indeed, while Doran's production is amusingly alert to the play's merriment, unfortunately it misses its essential bittersweet melancholy." The Mail on Sunday
"Watching Richard Wilson capering arthritically around in underpants and thigh-high yellow stockings is one of the highlights of this RSC Shakespeare comedy... The play is all about the blindness of love. And old Will Shakespeare was a dab hand at farce, so you get a mad scramble of women falling for women dressed as men, men for men who are women ... and so on. And while the lines are 400 years old, under Gregory Doran's direction, the gestures are thoroughly 21st century... A fun introduction to the Bard." The New of the World
RSC's Twelfth Night in London at the Duke of York's Theatre previewed from 19 December 2009, opened on 22 December 2009 and closed on 27 February 2010.
2011 National Theatre's Cottesloe Theatre (now Dorfman Theatre)
Previewed 11 January 2011, Opened 18 January 2011, Closed 2 March 2011 (in repertory) at the National Theatre's Cottesloe Theatre
The cast featured Rebecca Hall as 'Viola', Ben Mansfield as 'Sebastian', Marton Csokas as 'Orsino', Amanda Drew as 'Olivia', Simon Paisley Day as 'Malvolio', Finty Williams as 'Maria', Simon Callow as 'Sir Toby Belch', Charles Edwards as 'Sir Andrew Aguecheek', and David Ryall as 'Feste', with Cornelius Booth, James Clyde, Tony Haygarth, Samuel James, Richard Keightley, Elizabeth Muncey, Joseph Timms and Jeffry Wickham.
Directed by Peter Hall with designs by Anthony Ward, lighting by Peter Mumford, music by Mick Sands, and sound by Gregory Clarke.
2012 Roundhouse Theatre (Royal Shakespeare Company)
Previewed 5 June 2012, Opened 14 June 2012, Closed 5 July 2012 (in repertory) at the Roundhouse
Presented 'in-the-round' by the Royal Shakespeare Company as part of the 'World Shakespeare Festival 2012', in repertory with The Comedy of Errors and The Tempest.
The cast featured Emily Taaffe as 'Viola', Stephen Hagan as 'Sebastian', Jonathan McGuinness as 'Orsino', Kirsty Bushell as 'Olivia', Jonathan Slinger as 'Malvolio', Cecilia Noble as 'Maria', Nicholas Day as 'Sir Toby Belch', Bruce Mackinnon as 'Sir Andrew Aguecheek', and Kevin McMonagle as 'Feste', with Ankur Bahl, Sarah Belcher, Amie Burns Walker, Sandy Grierson, Felix Hayes, Amer Hlehel, Solomon Israel, Jan Knightley and Sargon Yelda.
Directed by David Farr with choreography by Isabel Mortimer, designs by Jon Bausor, lighting by Jon Clark, music by Adem Ilhan, and sound by Christopher Shutt.
2012 Apollo Theatre (Shakespeare's Globe Theatre)
Opened 22 September 2012, Closed 14 October 2012 at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre
Previewed 2 November 2012, Opened 17 November 2012, Closed 9 February 2013 at the Apollo Theatre
The Shakespeare's Globe Theatre present William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night in London in an all-male Original Practices production, exploring clothing, music, dance and settings possible in around 1601.
Based on Tim Carroll's original 'all-male' production staged at the Shakespeare's Globe Theatre in 2002 and 2003 (see above), this revival production was presented for a three week run at the Shakespeare's Globe Theatre before transferring to the West End's Apollo Theatre. Presented in repertory with Richard III.
The cast featured Johnny Flynn as 'Viola', Samuel Barnett as 'Sebastian', Liam Brennan as 'Duke Orsino', Mark Rylance as 'Olivia', Stephen Fry as 'Malvolio', Paul Chahidi as 'Maria', Colin Hurley as 'Sir Toby Belch', Roger Lloyd Pack as 'Sir Andrew Aguecheek', and Peter Hamilton Dyer as 'Feste', with John Paul Connolly, Ian Drysdale, James Garnon, Jethro Skinner and Ben Thompson.
Directed by Tim Carroll with designs by Jenny Tiramani, lighting by David Plater, and music by Claire van Kampen.
"There's much to enjoy in Tim Carroll's candlelit, music-filled revival of the production originally staged at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre ten years ago, though his emphasis on the play's merriment misses its mood of melancholy. A glorious Rylance plays Olivia with Kabuki-like daintiness, hidden beneath black veils but unable to disguise her desire for Duke Orsino's dishy pageboy, Cesario. Paul Chahidi is an unexpected show stealer as mischievous housekeeper Maria: he plumps up the part perfectly, realising her as a woman who has the entire household - upstairs and downstairs - under her thumb... Johnny Flynn's prettily androgynous Viola is enchanting... Flynn is well-matched by Samuel Barnett as Viola's twin Sebastian, a wholly plausible lookalike if not quite as cute." The Mail on Sunday
"Here is a director who has sufficient faith in his audience to present the work of our greatest playwright with a sense of fun and ingenuity, but also total fidelity. The cast he has assembled is a veritable box of fireworks, and, my goodness, how their characters sparkle, fizzle, boom and explode upon the stage in blazes of vivid colour... It is a work of magnificent obsessions: each costume, for instance, has been hand-stitched by up to 20 craftsmen, and this marks the first occasion that Renaissance instruments have been performed live in a play on Shaftesbury Avenue... I doubt I will ever see a better Twelfth Night and I feel a profound sense of gratitude to Mr Carroll for having the courage to put on Shakespeare in the way that he would have done it himself." The Sunday Telegraph
Twelfth Night in London at the Apollo Theatre previewed from 2 November 2012, opened on 17 November 2012 and closed on 9 February 2013 - played in repertory with Richard III.
2014 Open Air Theatre Regent's Park
Previewed 21 June 2014, Opened 27 June 2014, Closed 12 July 2014 at the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre
Twelfth Night: re-imagined - the Open Air Theatre present William Shakespeare's comedy Twelfth Night re-imagined for everyone aged six above for a strictly limited season of just 22 morning and afternoon performances.
A madcap tale of mistaken identity that is guaranteed to captivate younger audiences. Featuring music, laughs and lots to join in with, the original text sizzles with anticipation as confusion clears to reveal a happy-ever-after. This promises to be the perfect play to share with all the family, and an ideal introduction to Shakespeare for those aged six and above.
The cast featured Sarah Ridgeway as 'Viola', Guy Lewis as 'Sebastian' / 'Sir Andrew Aguecheek', Nick Malinowski as 'Malvolio' / 'Orsino', Riann Steele as 'Olivia', Vera Chok as 'Maria', Wayne Cater as 'Sir Toby Belch', and Iain Johnstone as 'Feste'.
Directed by Max Webster with movement by Al Nedjari, designs by Ben Stones, music by Iain Johnstone, and sound by Yvonne Gilbert.
2017 National Theatre's Olivier Theatre
Previewed 15 February 2017, Opened 22 February 2017, Closed 13 May 2017 (in repertory) at the National Theatre's Olivier Theatre
The cast featured Tamara Lawrance as 'Viola', Daniel Ezra as 'Sebastian', Chris Oliver as 'Duke Orsino', Phoebe Fox as 'Olivia', Tamsin Greig as 'Malvolia', Niky Wardley as 'Maria', Tim McMullan as 'Sir Toby Belch', Daniel Rigby as 'Sir Andrew Aguecheek', and Doon Mackichan as 'Feste', with Adam Best, Claire Cordier, Imogen Doel, Mary Doherty, Ammar Duffus, Whitney Kehinde, Emmanuel Kojo, Andrew MacBean, Brad Morrison, Imogen Slaughter and James Wallace.
Directed by Simon Godwin with movement by Shelley Maxwell, designs by Soutra Gilmour, lighting by James Farncombe, music by Michael Bruce, and sound by Christopher Shutt.
2017 Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre
Previewed 18 May 2017, Opened 24 May 2017, Closed 5 August 2017 (in repertory) at the Shakespeare's Globe Theatre
The cast featured Anita-Joy Uwajeh as 'Viola', John Pfumojena as 'Sebastian', Joshua Lacey as 'Duke Orsino', Annette McLaughlin as 'Olivia', Katy Owen as 'Malvolio', Carly Bawden as 'Maria', Tony Jayawardena as 'Sir Toby Belch', Marc Antolin as 'Sir Andrew Aguecheek', and Le Gateau Chocolat as 'Feste', with Nandi Bhebhe, Theo St. Claire, Pieter Lawman and Kandaka Moore.
Directed by Emma Rice with choreography by Etta Murfitt, designs by Lez Brotherston, lighting by Malcolm Rippeth, music by Ian Ross, and sound by Simon Baker.