Wiener Zeitung

Shakespeare, as many prefer him.

A tantalising “Twelfth Night“ production at Vienna’s English Theatre.

It does perhaps rain every day, as Feste the Clown sings, but a good Shakespeare performance – in the original, language, to boot – is rare in Vienna’s theatre scene. Anyone wishing to enjoy a lively production of the masterpiece „Twelfth Night“ that also has poetic depth can do so during the coming weeks at Vienna’s English Theatre.

Julia Schafranek, director of the house, has brought this remarkable production to Vienna from the Dubrovnik Festival. The play centres round the eternal theme of love and death, but also around that of libertarianism versus puritanism. Helen Tennison’s fast-paced directing subtly reveals how close to one another comedy and tragedy often are.

Her idea of involving the entire cast in Feste the Clown’s songs is highly effective and underlines the wisdom and the universality of their texts.

Tennison lends full rein to the actors’ joie de vivre, whilst making considerable demands on them in the process; all the more so given that some of them have to slip into more than one part, just as in Shakespeare’s day. Helen Watkinson is a winning Viola, Jason Eddy a virile Orsino, Emma Fenney a cunning Maria and Helen Millar an Olivia who speedily recovers from her melancholia. Filip Krenus is convincing both as the spoil-sport Malvolio and as Antonio, the sailor. George Oliver comes into his own, above all, as Feste. James Burton (Sir Toby Belch) and Tom Michael Blyth (Sir Andrew Aguecheek) show us how past-master Shakespeare anticipated Laurel & Hardy.

Heiner Boberski
09.11.2016

Der Neue Merker

This has been a major Shakespeare year (the 400th anniversary of his death), so how can we best mark the occasion? By presenting something no longer granted us in Austria: a Shakespeare performance free from any „concept“ other than the desire to afford the piece its full magic and let the peformers shine. All this in the original English, what’s more, and not mumbled in one of countless translations as is usually the case hereabouts. The result is a Shakespeare that sparkles as the author intended.

(…) For sure the single setting (Martin Gozze) is plain; but the multi-door „Court“ with its steps and a bench suffices for all the scenes. Helen Tennison’s direction creates a perfect balance between the love-content and the comedy scenes; both are performed with the same comeliness, full of both slapstick and poetic moments, as the play takes its course with tempo and energy. Benedict J. Davies’ music is a terrific help in this, as it allows the ensemble to break constantly into little Music Hall songs and gigs; this guarantees both humour and charm.

This production „simply“ focuses upon the human beings up there on the stage, free of any unnecessary psychology or ponderous depth. In accordance with the old laws of theatre they all float just off the ground. The three ladies vie amongst themselves as to which is the most delightful of all: Helen Watkinson as Viola has good cards, not only because she is so deeply in love with her duke, but also because she presents us such a charming helplessness in her male manifestation without ever going over the top. Helen Millar as Olivia is not only a joy to look at but full of warmth and humour, too; this is especially the case in the magical scene in which she falls head over heels in love with young „Cesario“ (as we all know, actually Viola in disguise). Emma Fenney’s Maria (Maria’s famous laughing scene is cut here, a tricky scene at best of times) is a cunning number with higher aspirations. All three ladies are a joy.

As far as the menfolk are concerned, we are dealing with considerably more roles than we have actors in the ensemble. With the exception of Orsino (handsome Jason Eddy who hails from Bermuda is the best, most polished speaker of the evening), the actors appear in several roles which requires lightning-speed costume-changes; this lends added zest to the whole rigmarole and we take it all with a pinch of salt. George Oliver is the most taxed, being twin brother to Viola, Feste the Clown („Take away the Lady,“), and disguised as the bogus priest, not to mention numerous small parts.

James Burton impersonates, amongst others, Toby Belch (known to us as „Rülp“); lean and lanky Michael Blyth is mostly busy with the part of Sir Andrew Aguecheek, („Junker Bleichenwang“, as we call him); a couple of of scoundrels if ever there were, their polished slapstick is a delight.

Crowning glory of the evening, however, is Filip Krenus (his English is flawless, one would never guess his Croatian origins were it not for the fact that we learn of it in the programme). Apart from a strong portrayal as Antonio, he is Malvolio and his interpretation is remarkable because he is not, first and foremost, merely funny, but a serious man of standing upon whom a bunch of scoundrels play a brutal trick. Light-hearted as the evening may be, his fate is inescapably tragic and there is no chance of any conciliary outcome. But surely, this is what we want of Shakespeare – the whole spectrum from comedy to tragedy, in one. This performance succeeds wonderfully in portraying just that.

Renate Wagner
09.11.2016

FALTER

Illyria has a go at „The Welcome Culture“

Shipwreck in the Mediterranean! Viola and Sebastian, twins, are separated with the result that they each believe the other to be dead when they are cast ashore on the coast of Illyria. There they are given a warm welcome and eventually reunited after endless confusions. In „Twelfth Night“ („Epiphany“ or „What You Will“), the fate of a pair of migrants turns into one of Shakespeare’s finest comedies. The real fun begins, of course, in the high comedy scenes between Sir Toby, the dizzy „Knight“ Aguecheek, the pleasure-loving maid, Maria, and the vain Steward, Malvolio. Helen Tennison directs a fleet-footed, high-spirited performance in the glorious original (albeit cut) English.

Martin Lhotzky
46/2016

DIE PRESSE

„Twelfth Night“ as a heart-warming jest

Venna’s English Theatre: Helen Tennison directs William Shakespeare’s last „romantic“ comedy in straightforward mode, with a feel for music and with the required speedy pace.

(…) Helen Tennison’s production is both pacy and spirited. The cast of eight who first showed this production at the Festival Midsummer Scene in Dubrovnik this year, have a number of double roles to deal with. At the Vienna premiere this gave rise here and there to one or two confusions, but who cares? It’s all great fun, especially as a result of the choreography: the performance is full of dancing, some scenes seem almost like charades and there is plenty of singing. Could the sporadic dissonance of this merry choir be deliberate? Quite possible, for the songs, normally reserved for the cryptic Clown, Feste, are here sung by one and all – Fools are allowed to be oblique!

George Oliver gives a subtle performance as the astute Feste, alongside Valentine and Sebastian; the latter is the young man who has been stranded upon the shores of Illyria – shipwreck! – and has lost his twin sister, Viola; they both, thus, believe the other to have drowned. This prologue is played out for us as an introduction to the play itself, after that it’s all go right through to the end. Viola (Helen Watkinson), dressed as a man by the name of Cesario (in the same outfit as Sebastian), is deputed to woo the recalcitrant Olivia (Helen Millar) for her employer, noble Count Orsino (Jason Eddy). Olivia, however, promptly falls for this messenger in love, supposedly a young man; for her part, however, Viola is in love with the Count. That the rest of the cast constantly mistake the two twins for each other lends added zest to the occasion.

The best slapstick of all, however, is reserved for the two buffoons, Sir Andrew Aguecheek (Tom Michael Blyth) and Sir Toby Belch (James Burton), alongside the shrewd, cheeky maid, Maria (Emma Fenney); their hearty, not to say coarse fun is had at the expense of the pious prig Malvolio; this fun is, nevertheless always accompanied by many a subtle play on words – a display of puns and action more or less a match for Monty Python’s Flying Circus. Filip Krenus, as Malvolio, ensures that almost nothing tragic makes its way into the character; he plays the victim who is madly in love with his Lady, Olivia, as joyfully as at any carnival party. After two and a half hours (interval included) the premiere audience appeared to have enjoyed themselves enormously.

Norbert Mayer
12.11.2016