A Thought of One's Own

Contrary to what one of my lecturers said the other day some lawyers do have poetry in their souls. Thus I recently took it upon myself to make the long journey to Stratford-Upon-Avon to participate in the World Shakespeare Festival. 


The play in question was Twelfth Night, which isn't exactly my favourite Shakespeare, I tend to prefer the tragedies to the comedies, but it was what they were showing so I duly paid for my ticket, grabbed a dinner on the go to avoid extortionate theatre cafe prices, and settled in to a rather poor upper circle seat. 


The first thing that catches your eye when you enter is that there's a swimming pool under the stage. It's really quite odd, since the first thing on stage is a character flopping out of it, having just been shipwrecked. Then of course the play gets going and you have other things to worry about. The set was very elaborate, as you would expect for the RSC, and the actors all of a decent class. The drunks were roudy and silly, the lovers were passionate and threw themselves around the stage like mad people, and the fool was a fool. 


But the character, and indeed the actor, that really stole the show was the manservant, Malvolio, portrayed by Jonathon Slinger who you may remember as the leery chap 'Peter the Pardoner' who steals all of Jeff's clothes in a Knight's Tale. He's still leery, but the costume interpretation of the classic yellow socks and cross garters that Malvolio is tricked into wearing takes on a whole new level with him, as he wears very little else. His performance was excellent, and he received a well deserved ovation at the end of his incredible appearance in said outfit. It takes a lot of courage to go out dressed like that on stage in front of an audience, and to do it every night for the whole run is amazing. 


Other amusements included the traditional theatre ice cream which I cannot resist despite the price, and a quite good souvenir shop where one can purchase a magnet telling you to 'Kill all the lawyers' from Henry VI.