Twelfth Night
A star cast continues to tell one of Shakespeare’s classic stories on the stage of the Duke of York’s Theatre this year, including Victor Meldrew himself Richard Wilson alongside another sitcom star in the form of James Fleet. This production from the Royal Shakespeare Company appears under the direction of Gregory Doran, the Chief Associate Director of the RSC and is currently booking until February.
The show started out at the Courtyard Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon, where it had a successful run towards the end of 2009. As well as Wilson and Fleet, it also sports a cast of RSC regulars, including Sam Alexander, Alexandra Gilbreath, Nancy Carroll, Jo Stone-Fewings and Miltos Yerolemou.
The story of Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” is one of love and mistaken identity as Viola and her twin brother Sebastian embarks on a trip out at sea. However, trouble is afoot and she is shipwrecked on the shores of Illyria, fearing her brother dead. It is up to Viola to try and make it on her own and involve herself with a man’s world by disguising herself as a boy called Cesario.
As Cesario she lands a job working for Orsino, the Duke of Illyria where her task is to relay messages between the Duke and the Countess Oliva. Orsino has intense feelings for the Countess, but unaware of his true identity she has herself fallen in love with Cesario. Meanwhile, Viola has completed the triangle by developing feelings for the Duke.
Matters get further complicated with the arrival of Sebastian in Illyria, with Viola shocked to find him alive after the shipwreck. He has feared her dead all this time and unknowingly stumbles into a world of farce and romance.
Shakespeare’s classic story is often regarded as one of his greatest comedies, as well as one of the best comedies of all time. It is thought to have been written for the Christmas season, which explains the title’s reference to the 12 Days of Christmas, with the time of writing believed to have been in the early 17th century in 1601.
Both Richard Wilson and James Fleet are well known faces in the UK, having both appeared in successful television sitcoms; Wilson as the insufferable grump Victor Meldrew in “One Foot in the Grave” and Fleet as the lovable Hugo Horton in “The Vicar of Dibley”. However, they have both made names for themselves on stage and in various other shows.
Wilson has appeared in the likes of “Waiting for Godot”, “Whipping it Up” and “What the Butler Saw”, whilst his other television shows include the likes of “Merlin” for the BBC. Meanwhile, Fleet has appeared onstage in the likes of “Habeus Coprus” and “Mary Stuart” both on tour and in the West End.
“Twelfth Night” continues at the Duke of York’s Theatre until Saturday 27th February 2010.
