LAVISH AND UPLIFTING

Director Christopher Luscombe chose a late Victorian setting for his visually rich production which appealed to both the critics and the audience. Natasha Tripney described it as "lavish and uplifting" and "an incredibly handsome production", The Stage, 30 November 2017. Simon Higlett's splendid set designs included railway stations, opulent hothouses, wood-panelled halls as well gardens complete with fountains and statuary. Nigel Hess composed some lively tunes with a hint of Gilbert and Sullivan to enhance the gaiety.

INDIAN INFLUENCE

Taking inspiration from Queen Victoria's relationship with her Indian attendant Abdul Karim, Viola (Dinita Gohil) and Sebastian (Esh Alladi) were Indian twins marooned in 1890s England while Beruce Khan's Feste was an Indian retainer in Olivia's (Kara Tointon) household.

MORE MALVOLIO THAN VYVYAN

In another piece of inspired casting, Adrian Edmondson made his RSC debut playing Malvolio. He explained his approach to the role in an interview with Alex Wood: "I'm probably closer to Malvolio than I am to Vyvyan [his character in the BBC comedy series 'The Young Ones']. I don't see Malvolio as an iconic role. He's just a person who says some things. He's a character and I've made my sense of him, creating a backstory from the text. He's not particularly funny either. People laugh at him rather than because of him, and he's horrible. He's a nasty man, the butt of the joke rather than the joke maker. But there has to be a reason why, and something must have happened to him"  WhatsOnStage, 30 October 2017. Edmondson was praised for his comic timing and bringing pathos to the role.

DESIGNING TWELFTH NIGHT

Designer Simon Higlett was reunited with director Christopher Luscombe, both having worked on our previous productions of Love's Labour's Lost and Love's Labour's Won (Much Ado About Nothing). The sets for Twelfth Night were partly inspired by Wightwick Manor, a Victorian manor house near Wolverhampton in the West Midlands, built in 1887 for Samuel Theodore Mander.

In the following gallery you can see some of Simon Higlett's costume sketches, the costumes being brought to life in our workshop and photos of the sets.

Twelfth Night was generously supported by the Twelfth Night Syndicate

The RSC Acting Companies are generously supported by The Gatsby Charitable Foundation and The Kovner Foundation