TWELFTH NIGHT

Cambridge Arts Theatre

★★★½

“beautifully staged and sharply directed”

Cambridge University’s historic Marlowe Society presents Shakespeare’s tangled comedy, ‘Twelfth Night, or What You Will’. The student cast and professional creative team offer a vibrant, fresh take though the line between seasoned craft and eager amateurism is sometimes evident.

Shipwrecked in the strange land of Illyria, Viola believes her twin Sebastian is drowned. To survive, she assumes a male identity and slips into Duke Orsino’s household as a page. ‘Cesario’, swiftly winning Orsino’s favour, is sent to court the mourning Olivia in Orsino’s stead. No-one foresees how fast the flames of love will fan in all directions. In this tangle of longing and mistaken identity, can love truly conquer all?

Michael Oakley’s layered direction, with student assistant Sophia Orr, gleefully taps into mischief and duality. Queer coded subtexts are brought to the surface with a tender, modern touch. Comedy abounds: Malvolio’s transformation is delightfully deranged, troublemakers burst out of bushes before diving back in for the postscript, and balloon hearts materialise unexpectedly, all buoyed by jaunty folk music. Crucially, it’s tempered with just enough sobriety to give weightier moments punch. It’s visually beautiful, with “What You Will” shapeshifting in line with the plot’s knots and unravellings. Though the quintessentially British setting softens Illyria’s sense of strangeness. Some sections feel a touch static, though Malvolio’s yellow stockinged showcase is spot on. Alison de Burgh’s fight direction injects real flair into the confrontations, from jokey flailing to bare knuckle blows.

‘Twelfth Night’ is among Shakespeare’s most musical plays, and the score provides an understated yet essential heartbeat. The folk style feels timeless, with a soothing, lilting breeziness that heightens the poignancy of Shakespeare’s lyrics. Musical Director Gabriel Owens and onstage band (Eva Cotton, Sophie Wallis, Nat Riches, Reuben Karas, Charlie Harrison) interpret the score with sensitivity and precision, though there are a couple of early entries and Feste tries to sing every line in the final song’s overlapping structure.

Ingrid Hu’s scenography is stunning. The morphing “What You Will” doubles as furniture and incisive commentary. I unironically love the balloon hearts, instantly giving each character’s romantic arc a unique flavour. Minimalism blends with realism through simple blocks and detailed props. The band’s unobtrusive onstage presence adds physical and metaphorical texture.

Christopher Nairne’s lighting design is beautiful, creating subtle shifts in tone and emphasis that quietly amplify the poetry and energy of each scene.

Anna Wood’s sound design expertly blends ambient sounds, effects, band and vocals into a cohesive soundscape. The thunderclaps bookending the production underscore how closely things skirt tragedy, though there is noticeable feedback in Malvolio’s prison scene.
Hu’s costumes are impeccable. The clear concepts and clean tonal palette keep each role sharply defined, with Malvolio’s gloriously incongruous garb an undeniable highlight.

The student cast delivers assured work overall, even if some casting choices feel a little back to front. Eddie Adams’ Malvolio steals the show, transforming from pompous to love struck to vengeful with skill. Stella Williamson’s Feste is delightfully free spirited, with gorgeous vocals making for a perfect jester. Theo Francis’ Sir Toby possesses instinctive comedic flair and raucousness that contrasts perfectly with Malvolio’s stuffiness. Max Parkhouse gives Antonio a deeply human edge, making Sebastian’s whirlwind marriage quietly heartbreaking. Elizabeth Peni Brooks’ Maria is wonderfully layered, blending quiet authority, simmering resentment and irresistible charm. Jacob Mellor’s Orsino balances toughness with tenderness and Toby Trusted captures Sir Andrew’s foppishness with ease. However, some principal roles feel a little stiff, with weak projection and occasional gabbling blunting the emotional weight of their scenes. The chemistry between the central couples is also underpowered, making their sudden unions harder to invest in.

Though imperfect, Marlowe Society’s ‘Twelfth Night’ is beautifully staged and sharply directed. Offering some strong student performances, it’s a great tonic for the January blues.

TWELFTH NIGHT

Cambridge Arts Theatre

Reviewed on 21st January 2026

by Hannah Bothelton

TWELFTH NIGHT

★★★★

“There are many moments of light and silliness in this production”

When Feste – the fool attached to Olivia’s household – hangs upside down from the rafters, crooning as though in an after-hours jazz club; while Orsino is draped across a grand piano ten feet below him, you know you’re in for a “Twelfth Night” with a difference. Feste is less the sword of Damocles, but more Cupid’s arrow, if only he wouldn’t spend so much time clowning around. Played by Michael Grady-Hall, he weaves himself in and out of each of the play’s storylines as though he’s at the circus. Even during the interval, he plays Catch with the audience.

Yet he stops short of making this the ‘Feste Show’. Directed by Prasanna Puwanarajah, this eccentrically stylised production reveals how strong an ensemble piece it is. While Feste feels the need to fix everyone’s problems, they all seem to be getting on with it fine anyway. And relishing the opportunity. The sense of mourning and melancholy that introduces the story is reliant on the music more than the characters. Whether it is composer Matt Maltese’s jazzy piano accompaniments or the imposing pipe organ that periodically dominates James Cotterill’s outlandish sets, the tunes and refrains are what trigger the emotions. Ragtime accompanies the boisterous, boozy, behind-the-scenes shenanigans of Sir Toby and company. The same melody, slowed down for the organ, reflects the themes of lost and confused love that the protagonists are grappling with.

Daniel Monks’ Orsino is a velvet-clad playboy. A bachelor who prefers others to do his lustful bidding for him. Continually rejected by Olivia, his heart’s desire, he conveys a parallel growing affection for Cesario, his newly acquired manservant (the shipwrecked Viola in disguise). The same homoeroticism is more than hinted at between Olivia and Cesario/Viola. Gwyneth Keyworth embraces Olivia’s contradictions: resilient and practical yet vulnerable and easily infatuated. Continually dropping hints that he/she isn’t who she really is, Olivia pursues him/her anyway, perhaps not really caring too much about the gender. Freema Agyeman is a striking and versatile Olivia. Forcefully charismatic and sultry, and also playfully swinging between offended gravitas and excited sensuality.

Samuel West shines as Malvolio, austere one moment until duped into shaking his tail feathers for Olivia. Hilarious in his stockings, garters and broad smile. Yet when the game is up, his final exit is ultimately moving. Joplin Sibtain’s Sir Toby Belch is like an untrained hound while Danielle Henry’s Maria is his handler. As Sir Andrew Aguecheek, Demetri Goritsas is an all-shook-up, Americanised mix of Stan Laurel and Hugh Laurie.

Puwanarajah’s playful approach often detracts from the true emotion, but our attention never wanders and, among the mix of styles, small details are mischievously slipped in – like “Chekhov’s tramp”. A wandering vagrant or police officer may cross the stage for no apparent reason. A painter and decorator will be seen working away on nobody-knows-what. There are many moments of light and silliness in this production. It is a play that sets out amid grief, mourning and tragedy on its stylish journey towards celebration and unity, with some unexpected steps on the way. Occasional ad-libbing, along with scripted anachronisms, reference the festive season. We leave the theatre with a warm spring in our step. A joyous and heart-tugging production.

Tag Archives: Twelfth Night

TWELFTH NIGHT

★★★½

Cambridge Arts Theatre

TWELFTH NIGHT

Cambridge Arts Theatre

★★★½

“beautifully staged and sharply directed”