Twelfth Night, or What You Will

I have enjoyed Helen Hunt in numerous productions and liked Paul Rudd in "Clueless", but was quite unprepared for their transformation in this lovely rendition. The staging, music, and direction all conspired to make this one of the most enjoyable productions I have seen.

When it was broadcast on PBS I taped it more as a matter of course than anything else, having no idea what a mesmerising and alluring production it would be of one of my favourite plays. Since then I have been jealously guarding my increasingly decrepit tape from the predations of my friends, and hoping against hope that it might be released on DVD or at least videotape so I could have a more enduring copy (and so could my friends). Any chance that will happen?

Have appreciated Shakespeare's work for a long time. 'Twelfth Night' was one of my first Shakespeare plays. Actually along with 'Macbeth' it was the play that introduced me to and got me into his plays, through reading the text out loud in English class, while analysing the language as we went along. As a young adult, it's still one of my favourites of his. The story is complicated but lots of fun and charming, it has heart, memorable characters and moments and a lot of quotable lines.

There are a lot of very worthy and even brilliant productions of 'Twelfth Night'. Personally haven't actually seen a bad one, even if there are productions that do things differently (including a female Malvolio in one production that was done brilliantly) and don't completely succeed (including the Royal Shakespeare Company expanding Viola's role at the expense of Feste). This one for me is one of the best versions, it's just so exuberant and joyful and such a much needed breath of fresh air during such a depressing time.

Everything is executed beautifully. The costumes are neither old-fashioned or trashy, there is a sense of period with the scenery and handsomely done at that. It's beautifully shot too, it's expansive enough without being overblown and has intimacy without being claustrophobic. The direction by Nicholas Hytner is always tasteful, with no gratuitous touches or gimmicks, and traditional without being stuffy. There may not be an awful lot innovative here, but that doesn't matter with this amount of exuberance, keen eye for character interaction and respect for the text.

Shakespeare's text is typically wonderful and poetic. The comedy in the production is constantly very funny to hilarious, with nothing feeling forced or overdone. Yet the heart of the play is also far from lost or forgotten, there is actually a lot of it and it is handled very touchingly thanks to Olivia not being passive or underwritten and the beautiful chemistry between Helen Hunt and Paul Rudd.

All the performances are terrific with no exception, with Hunt a very committed and at her best enchanting Viola and Rudd a dashing and noble Orsino. Kyra Sedgwick's Olivia is very moving, while the Malvolio of Phillip Bosco is amusing yet also suitably pitiful, without being too much of an idiot. Brian Murray is riotously funny as Sir Toby and doesn't overplay or mug.

In conclusion, a joy of a 'Twelfth Night'. 10/10.

Although this production has a comparatively complete text, some good comic bits, and a number of well-known faces, the costumes and sets were peculiar, and the acting was inconsistent.

Andrew was both pathetic and silly; Feste was the perfect fool who is not perfectly foolish; and Malvolio was so thoroughly serious that he became remarkably funny.

Olivia, Viola and Orsino were less successful. Orsino's readings were effective, but he lacked the romantic energy that makes the part believable; Viola's performance was acceptable but never electric; and Olivia overacted her way into high energy and almost out of the part.

Still, as a filmed version of a stage production, it is humorous and occasionally touching.

I was delighted to see "Twelfth Night" broadcast on PBS, since I got the opportunity to see this play performed live over the summer. I thought it was an excellent production! While this was not my first introduction to Shakespeare, in my opinion the actors and everyone involved worked very hard to bring the audience into the play and make sure they didn't get lost. Their hard work really payed off. I must admit that I am a huge fan of Helen Hunt's, not to mention Kyra Sedgewick and Paul Rudd, so this made the play even more exciting to watch. I enjoyed the season premiere of "Mad About You", thrilled to see some of the actors from "Twelfth Night" making cameos. All in all, I thought that this was an exceptionally well-done production, and although it's no longer running, is a must-see!

We won't go into the screenplay here...we're talking Shakespeare, after all. Now, the sets were very sparse, but then, this was live theater. So what can you criticise? The casting!!!

Paul Rudd is wonderful, just masculine and sexy and totally at ease with his dialogue and his role. I couldn't take my eyes off him when he was present, and missed him tremendously when he wasn't on stage.

But Helen Hunt? Whose idea was it to cast this brittle, TV-groomed actress in such a demanding role? The poor woman doesn't pull it off. She seemed to stamp around the stage like she was lost, that terrible wondering frown on her face making it look like she was trying to keep her lines straight. The magnificent Mr. Rudd looking twice at the asexual Miss Hunt? I don't think so. Their mismatching ruined what would have been a great presentation of this classic.

I'd still watch it again, though, for Paul Rudd.