Nit de Reis (The Twelfth Night)
De William Shakespeare
Direcció d’ Edward Hall - Propeller
Foto: Manuel Harlan
Recull de crítiques
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Nit de Reis (The Twelfth Night)
De William Shakespeare. Direcció
d’Edward Hall – Propeller.
La crítica ha dit...
“La música, interpretada pel conjunt de mitges màscares, suggereix una força
misteriosa, benevolent, més enllà de la comprensió humana”
Ben Brantly. NY Times. 20/03/07.
“Si bé el compromís vigorós d’aquest grup no està en dubte, el valor del projecte se
centra en el tractament del gènere”
Dominic Cavendish. Telegraph. 26/09/12.
“Edward Hall és una força creixent en el teatre britànic. (...) L’espectacle retorna a
Sicília per arribar a un final sorprenent, elegant i confirma ‘amplitud i profunditat de
Hall”
Patrick Marimon. Daily Mail. 03/02/12
“És Edward Hall el director més gran d’obres de Shakespeare? És la companyia
Propeller, tota masculina, el millor conjunt de Shakespeare?. Després de veure una
doble sessió de La Feréstega domada i Nit de Reis durant vuit hores, puc respondre
“sí” a les dues preguntes”
David Finkle. Theatermania. 19/03/07.
“Todo es sabio, imaginativo y preciso, y el verso fluye con tanta fuerza como claridad,
y la energía es constante, puro músculo, un ritmo intenso y continuo, catorce fieras
actorales que encarnan a los treinta personajes del drama, y que cantan como
ángeles (rabiosos).”
Marcos Ordoñez. Babelia (El País).
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Nit de Reis (The Twelfth Night)
De William Shakespeare. Direcció
d’Edward Hall – Propeller.
NY Times. 20/03/07.
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Nit de Reis (The Twelfth Night)
De William Shakespeare. Direcció
d’Edward Hall – Propeller.
Pg. 4
Nit de Reis (The Twelfth Night)
De William Shakespeare. Direcció
d’Edward Hall – Propeller.
Pg. 5
Nit de Reis (The Twelfth Night)
De William Shakespeare. Direcció
d’Edward Hall – Propeller.
Daily Mail. 03/02/12.
Pg. 6
Nit de Reis (The Twelfth Night)
De William Shakespeare. Direcció
d’Edward Hall – Propeller.
Pg. 7
Nit de Reis (The Twelfth Night)
De William Shakespeare. Direcció
d’Edward Hall – Propeller.
Telegraph. 26/09/12.
The Winter’s Tale/ Henry V, Propeller Theatre, review
Dominic Cavendish reviews Propeller's Henry V and The Winter's Tale.
Bloodiness of war: Dugald Bruce-Lockhart as Henry V and company in Henry V
Pg. 8
Nit de Reis (The Twelfth Night)
De William Shakespeare. Direcció
d’Edward Hall – Propeller.
Theatermania. 19/03/07.
Pg. 9
Nit de Reis (The Twelfth Night)
De William Shakespeare. Direcció
d’Edward Hall – Propeller.
Babelia (El País) 23/12/12.
Pg. 10
Nit de Reis (The Twelfth Night)
De William Shakespeare. Direcció
d’Edward Hall – Propeller.
Guildford-dragon.com. 14/11/12.
Review: Twelfth Night – Yvonne Arnaud
Vince Leigh (Sir Toby), Liam O’Brien (Feste) and John Dougall (Sir Andrew Aguecheek) in Propeller’s Twelfth Night
– Photo by Manuel Harlan.
Propeller Theatre has once again managed to bring sophistication, modernisation and sheer genius to its
production of this Shakespeare classic; Twelfth Night.
Shakespeare’s play tells a twisted tale of disguise, deception and mistaken identities. Dark yet charming, he play
asks ‘what happens when you fall in love with the wrong person?’ and the answer is both beautiful and
bittersweet. As described by them, Propeller “mixes a rigorous approach to the text with a modern physical
aesthetic” – this all-male company are technically brilliant.
Edward Hall founded Propeller in the 90’s and has worked on many Shakespeare plays since, often gaining awards
for their success and it’s not hard to see why. He is clever in his direction, making sure each actor always has
something to do – never leaving the space without action, unless to aid the text. His use of modern aesthetics and
references such as costume, set and accompanying music allows the audience to engage and understand better,
Shakespeare’s often complicated dialogue.
One scene in which Hall’s direction is simply excellent is the last in Act One. Throughout the play Hall has all his
actors on stage – whether this be as their character or wearing plain, half masks while aiding scene changes,
playing instruments (another big part of Propeller’s productions) or acting through physical theatre to create
parts of the set.
In this scene, we see Malvolio (Chris Myles) receive a letter supposedly fromOlivia (Ben Allen) declaring her love
for him. All while the comedy trio is in the background of the scene 9see photo below) interacting with their
masked colleagues to see no evil hear no evil and speak no evil; this use of dramatic irony is brilliant. The pace,
physicality and excellent sound effects created from the ensemble all support Myles’ brilliant performance
as Malvolio, in this important scene for his character.
It is difficult to single out specific actors for their performance: this is very much a company piece and the cast as
a whole are highly skilled. Everyone works incredibly well together and using additional abilities such as
musicianship, and even some tap dancing from Maria (Gary Shelford), just adds to the 2hr 43min production. I
mention the length because while long, it absolutely flies by.
If there are still tickets available – I believe it’s been selling very well – get yourself down to the Yvonne Arnaud
before it leaves on Saturday 17thNovember. Even if you’re “not one for Shakespeare”, I challenge you not to enjoy
this production of Twelfth Night!
Pg. 11
Nit de Reis (The Twelfth Night)
De William Shakespeare. Direcció
d’Edward Hall – Propeller.
Sheengate.co.uk. 15/11/12.
Review: Twelfth Night at the Yvonne Arnaud, Nov 13 to 17
Emily Gorton reviews the Propeller production of William
Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, now showing at Guildford’s
Yvonne Arnaud
The ability for Shakespeare’s words to reach out over four
hundred years to dazzle, entertain and still strike at the
fundamental truths of human behaviour never fails to surprise
me.
This is what I took away with me after watching Twelfth
Night at the Yvonne Arnaud yesterday – not my favourite of
the comedies but one on which Propeller’s slick production has given me a new and more favourable perspective.
I was expecting a very classical take on the play as I flicked through the programme to see an all male cast staring
back. But beyond this element, the imaginative use of space, accompanying music created by the actors on stage
and an unreserved amount of nudity gave the piece new edge.
The ‘fool’ Feste opens the play with a chilling song, accompanied by his fellow masked cast-mates in a marvel of
aceppello. The eerie atmosphere is established perfectly for the tragic shipwreck that pulls a brother and sister
apart, forcing Viola to dress as a man and work for the love-struck Duke Orsino.
Then, even from the first, this eerie premise is undercut almost immediately by a lighter motif – a juxtaposition
that runs to great effect throughout the production.
These comic moments, spearheaded by the drunken antics of Sir Toby belch and co, are performed brazenly,
becoming more and more daring as the scenes progress. In fact, some were so raw they became uncomfortable
to watch – including a vomiting Sir Toby, a be-thonged and fishnetted Malvilio and two incidents of barely
concealed full nudity, which I was thankful the many mirrors on the set didn’t reflect from my position. (Whether
others in the audience were so lucky I am not sure.)
Uncomfortable for different reasons was the performance of Joseph Chance, whose Viola conspicuously lacked
the mastery of Ben Allen’s elegant Olivia and Gary Shelford’s flirtatious, tap-dancing Maria.
Although brother and sister were cast perfectly to resemble each other – and this device worked well as a result –
Viola seemed to lack any attempt at femininity, and the much needed chemistry between herself and Orsino was
sadly absent.
Despite this, the performances were consistently strong and the stage design, music and stylistic devices were
truly magical.
Sitting somewhere between a hearty pantomime and contemporary theatre, this production is full of energy with
truly delightful moments – enjoyable whether you’re new to the play or know its lines well. A perfect night’s
entertainment for the build-up to Christmas.
Pg. 12
Nit de Reis (The Twelfth
welfth Night)
De William Shakespeare. Direcció
d’Edward Hall – Propeller.
The public reviews.com. 15/11/12.
Twelfth Night – Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford
Author: William Shakespeare. Director: Edward Hall. Reviewer: Ann Bawtree. The Public Reviews Rating:
A capacity audience filled the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre for the Propeller Company’s production of Shakespeare’s
‘Twelfth Night’. Judging from the age of ninety per cent of those present the play is one of this year’s examination
texts. The whole building was alive with buzzing conversations and laughter. Discussions were held as to the
significance of the setting, designed by Michael Pavelka, which at first glance resembled a collection of pieces of
bedroom furniture and dusky mirrors all draped in swathes of grey cloth. One large section was thought to
resemble a missile launcher until it was pointed out that a rope from above
above gave it the shape of a wrecked ship’s
prow.
While the house lights were still up a strange little man in a raincoat and too small a hat wandered on to the
stage. He, Feste the clown, was playing some kind of stringed instrument and singing a song about when he was a
little boy. Played by Liam O’Brien in his natural Irish brogue, he eventually morphed into Iain Paisley in his final
harangue of the unfortunate Malvolio (Chris Myles). At his appearance immediate silence fell and the young
audience was captivated and remained so throughout the evening.
A group of men (Propeller is, in true Shakespearean style, an all male company) enter. They are wearing dark
business suits and ties and are only remarkable for the half masks which cover the top halves of their faces.
Lurking about the stage throughout, they whisked off the drapery to reveal a dishevelled figure sitting on a chair
with a glass in one hand and a half empty bottle in the other. He is none other than Duke Orsino of Illyria on
whose shores Viola, the heroine, has been shipwrecked. The Duke is mourning his unrequited love for Olivia.
There follows a complicated story of mistaken identity, false rumours of death and practical joking of the cruellest
kind, interspersed with scenes of hilarious drunken revelry.
The characters enter and leave the stage, frequently passing through the mirrored wardrobes, like assistants in a
conjuror’s magical disappearing act. The strange ship-like edifice is soon hoisted high to act as a chandelier in the
ducal palace. The text is often accompanied by ethereal music, either vocal or produced by the rubbing of a
glass’s rim with a wet finger, and strange bowed instruments.
The play can be seen to display the deepest of meaningful relationships as explained in the programme notes of
Roger Warren or simply enjoyed on a much lighter level. As the Propeller Company is, in true Shakespearean style
all male, we have all the old twist of “this is a man playing the part of a girl who is impersonating a man” as in the
case of Viola. All the more admirable are the performances of Ben Allen as Olivia, tall and elegant in a nineteen
thirties evening gown, cropped hair and important earrings, and Gary Shelford as Olivia’s buxom “gentlewoman”,
who is anything but.
The last scene, where light eventually dawns on everyone as to who’s who and explanations are revealed, is
played very slowly as realisations eventually sink in. So slowly in fact at some points it almost seems that the
actors are unsure of their words, which leads to a slightly
slightly downbeat ending. But surely the author would have
approved this production, the translation of the “yellow stockings, cross gartered” into something equally
ridiculous for the twenty first century and especially the dance routine which begins the final act. This deservedly
raised rapturous applause from the audience, only to be exceeded by the cheers to which these accomplished
actors took their final bows.
Pg. 13
Nit de Reis (The Twelfth Night)
De William Shakespeare. Direcció
d’Edward Hall – Propeller.
British Theatre guide.info. 15/11/12.
Twelfth Night
Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford. From 13 November 2012 to 17 November 2012. Review by Sheila Connor
No fewer than nine regional producing theatres have joined forces to provide the sort of touring drama they wish
to see on their stages, and with Propeller’s version of Twelfth Night they are surely onto a winner.
The beginning is strange, almost surreal. Drapery covering the set is whisked away by the mandolin-playing fool
Feste to reveal a melancholy Duke drowning his sorrows in wine, while the shipwreck is suggested by what
appears to be the silvery bare bones of a boat which, after a very violently physical and riveting storm, is itself
whisked aloft to become a giant chandelier.
Nothing in Edward Hall’s production is quite as it seems with reflections, mystery, eerie music and shadowy,
white-masked figures emerging from every angle to watch and listen, while in Michael Pavelka’s design (expertly
lit by Ben Ormerod) giant mirrored wardrobes, towering above the performers, turn, glide, confuse and, rather
like a sixteenth century Tardis, who or what will emerge from or disappear through them next is a constant
surprise.
The essence of the show is innovation and surprise, yet through it all Shakespeare’s tale of love, deception,
betrayal, mistaken identity and debauchery shines through with perfectly enunciated dialogue and exquisitely
expressed emotion, yet all seeming completely natural—well almost!Being an all-male company, the female roles
are taken by grown men with few concessions to femininity, yet by mannerisms, expressions and movement they
transcend gender and easily convey the depth of female emotions.
Ben Allen’s Countess Olivia’s girlish excitement in the first flush of romantic love is complemented by her satisfied
sigh, “most wonderful” when she sees there are two of her beloved, and I just loved Gary Shelford as
‘gentlewoman‘ Maria, saucy and with a cheeky smile and roguish twinkle. He not only manages high(ish) heels
with aplomb but also some fetching fluffy (also heeled) mules, and his nifty and impromptu tap number was very
unexpected. Joseph Chance’s Viola has an easier option as the suited youth Cesario (production is modern dress),
but his speeches telling of his/her love are so beautiful and moving it suggests a feminine tenderness and
vulnerability.
The steward Malvolio (Chris Myles) is as pompously insufferable as ever, wearing his chain of office even in night
attire. Always difficult to find something new for yellow stockings and cross garters, especially in modern dress;
this company has opted for fishnets and a codpiece, or is is a posing pouch? Whatever, there is enough room to
secrete the fateful letter and the discovery of this letter is hilariously absurd, one of the funniest and most farcical
scenes in the show.
Vince Leigh’s Sir Toby Belch is constantly disgustingly drunk, and he plays it so well he must have practiced.
Christopher Hayward plays Duke Orsino as a shallow, dreamy lover, in love with being in love and easily
transferring his affections to another, and Liam O’Brian lends some Irish humorous inflection to the witty wisdom
of Feste.
This is, however, truly an ensemble piece with every member of the fifteen-strong cast making a valuable
contribution, not least in their mastery of musical instruments as Propeller’s music and rhythms run through the
whole performance.
Excitingly original, brilliantly inventive, thrilling and very fast moving, it kept three coachloads of teenagers
hanging on every word and the discussions in the interval and after the show were animated and exhilarated. This
is Twelfth Night—but not as you know it. I can only echo Olivia’s “most wonderful”.
Pg. 14
Nit de Reis (The Twelfth Night)
De William Shakespeare. Direcció
d’Edward Hall – Propeller.
Touring to Nanterre, France; Girona; Norwich; Plymouth; Ann Arbor, USA; Minneapolis, USA; Salford; Cheltenham;
Kingston; Newcastle; Sheffield; Milan, Italy; Nottingham; Madrid Festival; Canterbury; and the Hampstead
Theatre, London in July 2013.
Pg. 15
Nit de Reis (The Twelfth Night)
De William Shakespeare. Direcció
d’Edward Hall – Propeller.
Questions for Dugald Bruce-Lockhart
PROPELLER
First of all, can we ask about your involvement with Propeller. How/why did you first join the company?
I first met Edward Hall in 1995 Japan when I was working with the RSC doing Henry VI part III and he was over
there directing a Japanese Richard III. We were introduced to each other via a mutual friend, Tam Williams, and
Ed told me he had an idea for an all male production of Henry V. So in 1998 I joined the company and we did
Henry V and Comedy of Errors which toured over the UK and to some 15 countries over ten months. It was a wild
and innovative time and the ethos of Propeller was born.
What is the appeal to you of working with a company like this?
The appeal has been many fold. To begin with it was the work hard, play hard ethos combined with a robust yet
exquisite style of storytelling (in my opinion unparalleled in the business) which also involved road trips across the
planet! But later it has been all about the work. We have a short hand in the company that allows us to approach
in five weeks what would take other companies two months. We know each other extremely well and can get on
with the job without being precious or worrying about our actor’s egos. We all have egos of course, but we keep
them in their place. It’s all about ensemble storytelling and that’s what we do – tell the story. In my opinion all
theatre should be like that. The minute a performance upstages the play you have lost – and we are all about
delivering the play. And this has untold rewards in both the acting and also directing side of things.
The very nature of Propeller means there are no women in the company. How does this alter the dynamic of
rehearsal and performance?
People don’t realise that nearly our entire backstage and production crew are women so we have a very tangible
female presence which keeps the sometimes wayward all male locker room antics in check! As for performance –
Shakespeare’s plays are about the human heart and the story so it makes no difference at all. We treat all the
parts as characters in a story – whether they are male or female is not of any consequence in the playing of it. At
the top of the shows our Choric Device introduces very quickly the idea that men will be playing women – after
that the audience sits back, lets the imagination take hold and this allows us limitless scope with the creativity of
our storytelling. The only thing that differs is the pre-show banter can get a little feisty – but then the girls join in
and often out-do us, so it’s all good.
You’ve been part of the company as an actor and now you are associate director. What does this involve?
As associate director my task has been to remount Ed’s 2007 Propeller production of Twelfth Night and Taming of
the Shrew. This involved rehearsing in a new group of actors, staging the productions and all the knock-ons that
come with re-mounting a show with a new cast. It is the same concept and design that Ed and the actors created
in 2007 (in which I was cast member) but now it has developed in the way you would expect with a new cast,
Pg. 16
Nit de Reis (The Twelfth Night)
De William Shakespeare. Direcció
d’Edward Hall – Propeller.
different personalities and an additional eye in the rehearsal room. I have worked with Ed together on these
projects and I have found that I have been able to bring an actor’s insight into the directorial chair and the
rehearsal process – having been in their shoes for fifteen years as an actor with the company and I have a
particular insight into the journey they are making, the blocks that can occur, and how to solve them. Bringing
this element to rehearsal and combining it with Ed’s overview means we have been able to develop the former
productions into two new ones. The hard part now is that I have to let them go and sit back while they go off on
tour… but that also has its advantages. I get to eat supper at home and go to bed before 11.00pm!
Give us a flavour of the two plays and what people can enjoy when Propeller come to Norwich Theatre Royal.
Whatever your taste and take on theatre you are in for an event. Twelfth Night is a moving, moody, charming,
delicate yet hilarious study of mistaken identities, and Taming of the Shrew is all about sexual politics and how
the idea of ‘Love’ can be misunderstood and warped – which entails both excruciatingly funny farce and also
highly disturbing brutality. Shakespeare was an entertainer – the minute his audience member left his seat he was
potentially out of a job. We make sure you will never leave your seat. Often an audience member will say
afterwards – “I enjoyed it so much - but who wrote your version - it must be re-written because I actually
understood it?” The answer is we only use Shakespeare’s text and only his text. There are the odd ad-libs when
called for – in exactly the same way his own company of players would have done at the Globe. The point is the
audience is invited to a party and that’s what we will give you. What you are about to see is “Rock ‘n Roll” in
verse. I can’t give away any more than that or I’ll spoil it…
Why do you think Propeller are proving so popular with audiences internationally?
For the same reason we are proving so popular in the UK – it is storytelling at its best.
Did you always want to act? How did you end up in the acting profession?
I ended up acting sort of by mistake. I wanted to be a marine biologist but I was bad at maths and physics so I
ended up doing German and English for A level. Then at University I chanced upon acting and someone,
somewhere suggested I could do it as a profession. I laughed and then later secretly wrote an application to
drama school – to my surprise (and my parents’) I got in. I have embraced it ever since and been very grateful for
the rich experience of life that it has brought me - I have been very lucky.
Your family have strong Norfolk connections - do you know the county well?
I have huge family connections with Norfolk – my Uncle Logie was headmaster of Greshams for many years and I
have many relatives dotted around in the region. However I am much more familiar with Suffolk – I have been
going on holiday there (Walberswick) since I was about 7 years old and my parents are living near to there now.
Pg. 17
Nit de Reis (The Twelfth Night)
De William Shakespeare. Direcció
d’Edward Hall – Propeller.
Do you have a favourite place in the county - and why?
Norwich – I have done many plays at the theatre and I love those brisk evening walks back through the town after
a show at 11pm at night, warmed by several glasses of fine local ale… (and sometimes, I hate to admit it, a pack of
pork scratchings.)
Will you be taking the chance to catch up with any friends and family while you are here?
I will hopefully be seeing many friends and family at the show – so yes.
Is there a Shakespearian character you are really keen to play - and why?
Hamlet and Iago – why? Just because they are there. (And because pretty soon I’ll be too old to play Hamlet –
although if Jude Law can still get away with it then so can I!)
You’ve performed at Norwich Theatre Royal before. What are your memories of taking to the stage in the city?
I have done 39 Steps, The Deep Blue Sea, Comedy of Errors, Richard III and Henry V there – it is always the most
buzzing of crowds and packed to the brim. A fun theatre going audience who are highly sophisticated and out to
have a great night too –untarnished by the strange snobbery that can sometimes afflict a London audience (for no
other reason than that they feel they ought to be so because they are in London). Norwich and Guildford Yvonne
Arnaud are my favourite venues to perform in.
What plans have you in place for 2013 (or the rest of 2013 as this will be published in January)? I will be directing
a final-year graduate production at The Central School of Speech and Drama straight after this in February (The
Lightning Play by Charlotte Jones). Honeymoon after that. Then scheduled to do a show at RADA in the early
spring and then hopefully finding time to do some more acting before a series of projects that I have lined up but
not confirmed (can’t tell you or I’d jinx it) which includes two directing stints including the possibility of heading to
Australia to direct at Australia’s top drama school NIDA in Sydney – which would be fun amongst all else (I’d get
to see just exactly what the fearsome box jellyfish actually looks like) And I will need to get in some surfing too, in
Devon.
Other
than
that
–
who
knows?
Of course, by the time the interview is published at the end of December, you will be a married man. Is your bride
involved in the theatre too (and was the wedding here in Norfolk?)
Penelope Rawlins – Bruce-Lockhart by the time you get this - is most certainly in the business. She specialises in
voice-overs, audio-books and cartoons - at the moment she is playing the lead characters in three cartoon series –
Mini Wolf, Lulu Zipadoo and Hubert and Tikako. She never stops working… (and she makes the best home-made
blueberry muffins). The wedding (again by the time you go to print) will have taken place in Derbyshire.
Pg. 18
Nit de Reis (The Twelfth Night)
De William Shakespeare. Direcció
d’Edward Hall – Propeller.
AN INTERVIEW WITH EDWARD HALL
FOR PROPELLER’S 2012-13 TOURING PRODUCTION OF TWELFTH NIGHT
NOVEMBER 2012
RELEASED FOR GENERAL MEDIA USE IN CONNECTION TO THE 2012-13 TOURING PRODUCTION OF TWELFTH
NIGHT
Press contact: Stephen Pidcock The Corner Shop PR Ltd
Propeller’s production of Twelfth Night is a very funny show to watch. Do you enjoy the comic scenes?
EH: As a company we love exploring the comedy. It’s comedy rooted in truth, and the characters are so wellrounded in Twelfth Night that it’s a delight to bring them to life. Particularly the drunks. Nobody has ever written
drunken people better than Shakespeare in Twelfth Night.
The character of Sir Toby Belch [played by Vince Leigh] is constantly drunk. In one scene he’s so drunk he can’t
remember who he is. You recognise an alcoholic in him. Sir Andrew Aguecheek [John Dougall] is drunk most of
the time, or half drunk, or nearly drunk, and those bits are just written perfectly.
You feel like Shakespeare has spent a lot of time drinking after shows and watching people in alehouses in
Cheapside, and he knows exactly who they are. It’s so real, and so natural. It’s great fun. It’s very rewarding
exploring writing like that, because the comedy is never reliant on funny “ha-ha”. It’s always rooted in truth.
There’s a depth to the people. But at the same time, it does give us opportunities sometimes where it feels right
to add our own comic decorations – and we do!
Can you tell us a bit about where your Twelfth Night is set?
EH: I’ve always been drawn to large country houses and estates, for the very particular reason that they create a
world within a world. When you walk through the gates of a manor house, you can feel like you’re entering a
different dimension.
We’ve set Twelfth Night in our imagined huge stately home, which is the island of Illyria. In the West Wing you
have Olivia [Ben Allen], grieving for the death of her brother. In the East Wing you have Toby Belch drinking too
much, wishing she would get over it, and they meet in the middle every now and then and argue.
And in this house, Feste the jester [Liam O’Brien] wanders between them with his chorus of fools, who Malvolio
calls ‘Zanies’. He drinks with his chorus, he makes music with them, and it’s his chorus who tells the story of
Twelfth Night with him. Feste begins the play when he reveals Orsino [Christopher Heyward] from beneath a dust
sheet, as part of the detritus of this party. The Zanies move into the play - they tell the story and become the
characters. And Feste finishes the play with them.
I’ve also taken my lead from the title. Twelfth Night is the day when everything would be turned topsy-turvy, so
masters would become servants and servants would become masters for a night. It would be night of misrule – of
anarchy, of Christmas holidays and Christmas celebrations. There’s a festive element to it, and things aren’t quite
in the right place.
Pg. 19
Nit de Reis (The Twelfth Night)
De William Shakespeare. Direcció
d’Edward Hall – Propeller.
What kind of country houses did you look at in designing the show?
EH: Our Twelfth Night is partly inspired by the visual elements of the film ‘The Last Year at Marienbad’ - a surreal
experimental film from the 50s, which played with time and place and explored what happened when time didn’t
quite run correctly. It’s a very strange film. You don’t quite understand what’s going on, but it’s got beautiful
imagery. Very atmospheric. So we’ve taken some of the visual inspiration from that film.
Part of it also comes from a very specific shot in Stanley Kubrick’s masterpiece The Shining. I remember it clearly –
it’s the middle of party and there’s a shot of a corridor in a big hotel, with streamers. It’s one of Jack Nicholson’s
dream memories, when he imagines something’s happening that isn’t.
In our house we’ve imagined that Illyria is in the dying throes of a party that’s been going on for a long, long time.
There’s a stagnation about it. And it’s got stuck like a needle on a gramophone record, which is just scratching
and skipping.
How do you go about bringing all those different elements together in the production?
EH: All these elements manifest themselves physically in the large chest of drawers and wardrobe units around
the house, which [designer] Michael Pavelka and I created. The wardrobes are mirrors – which you can
sometimes see through, and sometimes you can’t. The doors open different ways, and they’re on wheels. So we
can make different environments- we can make corridors and rooms and stately rooms, bathrooms, We can make
anything you want out of the wardrobes, but the action can keep going lightly and swiftly.
As with all our shows, we put all the different elements together when we get into the rehearsal room. Then we
see what the play does to them, how the play might glue it all together, and where the play doesn’t want them,
and we need to just leave them be.
Do you feel the production has glued it all together well this time?
EH: In this instance it’s knitted together in a peculiarly satisfying way, and that’s particularly to do with the music
in the play. We quite often express the emotional current of Twelfth Night through musical moments. It’s very
hard to intellectualise or describe – it’s all about atmosphere and feeling, and music goes beyond intellect in that
way. The bit of your brain that’s trying to interpret language is freed, and you can experience something different.
That helps to create the right atmosphere for Twelfth Night, which is at one minute very farcical, boisterous,
anarchic and funny, and on the other hand full of pathos and melancholy. The tone switches quite rapidly from
one to the other sometimes.
So despite the stately home, we shouldn’t be expecting Downton Abbey?
EH: No, it’s more Hotel Overlook, really. Not Downton Abbey at all. This world is dusty, forgotten and stuck. Like
the character of Olivia.
Olivia, who Orsino falls so much in love with. Often Orsino is portrayed as a hopeless lovelorn wimp – that’s not
an approach you’ve taken, is it?
Pg. 20
Nit de Reis (The Twelfth Night)
De William Shakespeare. Direcció
d’Edward Hall – Propeller.
EH: Nowhere in the text does it say that Orsino is a pining hopeless romantic. In fact, what it does say is that he’s
an extremely competent military man - a sea captain, who has done good service for Illyria. That is his nature. He
is an Alpha Male who has just been struck by falling in love. It’s not natural to him to wandering around in his bare
feet with half a bottle of wine until the small hours of the morning.
In fact, he talks about the inspiration that love gives him. So it’s not a wet, flaccid, passive, negative thing – it’s
something that makes him live, and lights him up even though she’s not there. It’s only our projection on to the
play that says “oh, he must be a soppy dog who’s in love with the idea of love”. That’s just A-level academia, it’s
not the truth of the characters.
Orsino is in love with a woman who he is prevented from seeing, and he is going crazy with it. His mind
exaggerates everything, until he’s virtually biting his arm off. He’s so frustrated.
Why do you think twins crop up so frequently in Shakespeare?
EH: Twins are something Shakespeare understood first-hand, because he had twins with his wife, but Hamnet, his
twin son, died when he was eleven. It was very common back then, but still tragic for a father to lose his son that
young, and particularly one of twins. So the subject of twins is something I’ve always felt is very close to his heart.
The centre of the story is twins being separated and their journey to finding one another. It’s very beautiful when
they meet finally, and it’s also a wonderful happy ending when Olivia realises she can fulfil her love for Cesario
with Sebastian [Dan Wheeler], and Orsino realises he can fulfil his love for Cesario through Viola [Joseph Chance].
Shakespeare makes a very interesting point about love and gender there.
EH: I think he’s saying that it’s not gender that’s the issue - it‘s love. Love doesn’t really pay much attention to
gender. We pay attention to gender, but it doesn’t make any difference to love. In fact, everybody has the
capacity to love anybody.
Twelfth Night is generally described as a comedy, but there are plenty of darker sides to it, aren’t there?
EH: It’s a happy ending with a twist. The plot is shot through with this comic story of Sir Toby Belch and Sir
Andrew Aguecheek. Aguecheek is desperate to marry Olivia, and he’s quite rich, so Belch is desperate to keep him
in the house because he pays for all the parties.
And Belch is this wonderfully colourful drunk, who’s running away from his ‘black dog’. He’s partying because
every time he stops, reality catches up – the reality that he’s single, broke and sad. And that he’s beholden to his
niece who does nothing but wander around the house mourning for the death of her brother, and berating him
for having a good time. The only way he can pay to keep drinking and to keep this melancholy at bay is by using
Aguecheek’s money.
It’s very funny, but it’s shot through underneath with a melancholy – a sadness lurking at the edges that comes
into the room every now and then.
Like the darkness outside a country house?
Pg. 21
Nit de Reis (The Twelfth Night)
De William Shakespeare. Direcció
d’Edward Hall – Propeller.
EH: Yes – it’s grief. At the end of the play you have a happy ending. The twins find each other. Orsino and Olivia
find their other halves. But it’s counterpointed with Malvolio [Chris Myles], who comes back in the last scene.
Malvolio has been appallingly abused and mistreated by Maria [Gary Shelford] and Belch and Aguecheek in the
box tree scene - he dresses up in yellow stockings and garters and really makes a fool of himself. That, at the end
of the play, is a very interesting reminder of the cruelty engendered in some of the comedy we’ve watched.
The trick with any Malvolio is that you laugh at him and ridicule him at the beginning of the play, and then at the
end of the play you feel sorry for him. You hate him at the start because he’s a pedant and he does nothing but
tell other people off and berate others. He’s always got an opinion. And he’s been elevated by Olivia because
there’s no other man in the house, so he’s been allowed to get slightly above his station.
But there’s still something very brutal about the scheming and humiliating of Malvolio – it doesn’t seem fair..
EH: No – they bully him. It’s very funny, we enjoy it and join in, and then at the end we think “oh, actually that
was quite nasty”. But there’s a line in the play that goes: “In nature there's no blemish but the mind. / None can
be called deformed but the unkind”. This play is all about two things – firstly, it’s about kindness, and how the
only thing we should guard against is unkindness.
And the second thing is that the outward show of beauty quite often hides the pollution within, so don’t be
fooled by appearances. Just because somebody looks beautiful or kind, don’t be fooled. They might not be. In
fact, usually, they aren’t. And vice versa. Don’t judge someone as being unkind and scary just because they look
unkind and scary.
Those two things are what humanise the play and the story for me.
Pg. 22
Nit de Reis (The Twelfth Night)
De William Shakespeare. Direcció
d’Edward Hall – Propeller.
Le Nouvel Observateur. 09/11/12.
TWELFTH NIGHT AT THE THEATRE AMANDIERS, NANTERRE, PARIS – November 2012
Le Nouvel Observateur – Odile Quirot (saw TN at Belgrade, Coventry, 09/11)
‘Shakespeare and The Boys’
Confusion in the love games played through Twelfth Night is fuelled by the ambiguity of sexual preferences
traditionally ascribed to the great William. Tinged with occasional trans-gender turmoil thrown into the comic
mix comes this production from English theatre company, Propeller. The all-male company tear through this
comedy in which shipwrecked twins, Sebastian and Viola, are washed up in Illyria. Viola, believing her brother is
dead, disguises herself as a boy and, using the name Cesario, enters into the service of the Duke Orsino, who
instructs her/him to woo Olivia on his behalf. But Olivia is taken with Viola/Cesario, who herself has fallen in love
with Orsino (in summary). And so our fun begins in this rather wild English garden, whose haunting borders are
made of two-way mirrors. Olivia has the class of an elegant transvestite, while her chambermaid, Maria, whose
dress is as severe as her short hair, has the most hilarious gift of the gab. The Pythonesque humour in some of the
scenes is a delight, as are the nostalgic songs. A one-off.
Association Preses Française – Marie-Pierre Ferrey
British company Propeller, performing for the first time in France, bring an exhilarating production of
Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night to Nanterre’s Théâtre des Amandiers. Shakespeare’s sassy text, where witticisms
meet sexual innuendo, resonates with remarkable clarity due to the actors’ impeccable diction. While surtitles are
provided to help understanding, everyone bursts out laughing when a dumbfounded Olivia pronounces ‘How
wonderful!’ (sic) at the sight of her lover multiplying into two: twins - a man and a woman.
Shakespeare’s comedy constantly plays with sexual confusion, underlined by the fact that in Elizabethan times
women were not allowed to perform on stage, and so female roles were played by men. This is the standpoint
taken by Propeller, an all-male theatre company. There are fourteen of them who happily take on the roles of
count and countess, gentleman, priest or maid, mistress or lover. The height of the confusion is embodied in
Viola, the twin sister separated from her brother by a shipwreck, who decides to disguise herself as a man to
protect herself: and so we have a man playing a girl... disguised as a man.
The play unfurls an incredible succession of misunderstandings, punctuated by comical scenes such as the duel
which becomes a boxing match, and which immediately has the audience cheering along, getting straight to the
heart of the play.
The actors, who have performed Shakespeare in over 22 countries, from England to Bangladesh, are also
musicians and singers. “We’ve grown up together. Eaten together. We’ve fallen out with each other and we’ve
loved each other,” says Edward Hall, Propeller’s Artistic Director, in the programme, to explain the company’s
cohesion.
All in all, Propeller gives us the works, with spoken word flowing seamlessly into music and songs, all to the beat
of a drum, and the 2 hours,50 minutes running time slips by as if in a dream. The company, who received long
and rapturous applause on Friday evening, will be performing this exceptional Twelfth Night at Nanterre’s Théâtre
des Amandiers until December 2nd.
Pg. 23