We round up the reviews for the opening production for the theatre’s 2024 summer season…
The Guardian: *** “There is much to delight in. Ryan Dawson Laight’s sumptuous costumes shine and Michael Matus gives a glorious turn in drag as Toby Belch, a bully towards Richard Cant’s proud Malvolio, who doesn’t deserve the level of cruelty set upon him. The physical comedy works decently with the bumbling Andrew Aguecheek (Matthew Spencer) and the sneaky Maria (Anita Reynolds), but the larger set pieces long to be pushed further, to find a hiding place more inventive than behind a table.”
WhatsOnStage: **** “Owen Horsley’s Twelfth Night would make a good first Twelfth Night: though without really giddy romance, it steers away from some of the more well-trodden innuendos, and prizes certain more unusual things about the play to quiet and steady effect. It finds an understanding and well-used space at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre to unwrap unhurriedly. It’s a dignifiedly twilight world, stylish and welcoming.”
The Stage: *** “Queer reframing of Shakespeare’s melancholy comedy entertains but never quite ignites.”
London Theatre.co.uk: **** “It’s a shade long at three hours, but this inventive production is a thought-provoking delight.”
Evening Standard: **** “Stylish and surprisingly sexy, in the style of a Pierre et Gilles photograph or a Jean Paul Gaultier perfume ad, Owen Horsley’s production leans heavily into the themes of sexual and gender confusion in Shakespeare’s play. His staging is witty and seductive, only marred by an almost willful lack of pace.”
Time Out: **** “With added songs it runs to three hours, which is a lot for a comedy. Some of the minor characters get eye-catching treatments that don’t end up meshing that well with their actual story arcs. The play gestures at a genderqueer transgressiveness it doesn’t really follow through on. But it has a strong second half: Francolini gets funnier the more she has to do, and there’s a genuine sexiness to the late night scenes between Orsino and Cesario that transcends the innate preposterousness of the former not clocking the latter was a woman.”
West End Best Friend: *** “We would still recommend this production of Twelfth night! But perhaps with the added advice to check over the synopsis beforehand, as those with no prior knowledge of the story may find themselves a little at sea, but still very much entertained.”
London Theatre Reviews: *** “The overall feeling of this production is that it is decidedly fine. We are presented with an entertaining story that, for the most part, makes sense. Beyond this, we get very little by way of interesting take or even heartfelt story-telling.”
The Arts Desk: *** “All in all, this is a mixed evening, rather long at almost three hours, including some raucous fun and not a few interesting innovations, but with little of the shade that should accompany the glitter.”
The Reviews Hub: ** 1/2 “Ultimately, Horsley’s Twelfth Night manages to reshape the play around the queer energy of café Olivia, giving more attention to the merriment, singing and fools who inhabit the space. But in so doing, it feels like it loses sight of its more serious elements: ‘the comedy of grief’, and the intimate dynamics between the love triangle. Whether this is an oversight or a valuable reworking of the play is a decision for the viewer, who will undoubtedly derive much pleasure either way from the beautiful setting and joviality of this Shakespearian comedy.”
Lost in Theatreland: *** “The choice to keep Olivia single makes sense but also feels sad rather than celebrated. The rather anticlimactic ending of the show with a gentle harmonised rendition of ‘The Wind and the Rain’, demonstrates that the show’s focus on themes of grief is to the detriment of the partying and queer joy it promised. Despite some shining moments, Twelfth Night left much to be desired.”
All That Dazzles: **** “Bringing something fresh and exciting to a timeless tale, Owen Horsley and a wonderful team have created something fantastic in Twelfth Night or What You Will. They may have had greatness thrust upon them in taking on this classic but, rather fittingly, have also managed to achieve greatness in themselves.”
The Telegraph: *** “A drag queen Toby Belch takes centre stage in this so-so production of Shakespeare’s riotous comedy at Regent Park’s Open Air Theatre.”
Lou Reviews: **** “Viola, who disguises herself as one ‘Cesario’, is beautifully captured by Evelyn Miller, whether she is pursued by Olivia or hiding her love for Raphael Bushay’s brisk Orsino.”
Broadway World: “Though there are some glimmers of inspiration, and it is of course pleasant to be at a theatre with such beautiful natural surroundings, it’s ultimately not enough to save the production. Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some just fall flat.”
The Spy in the Stalls:***** “The emotional stakes reach the treetops in the park. The magic shoots for the stars. It is innovative, funny, cheeky, camp and degenerate. Again, if only this bar could be found in a holiday brochure. I’d be there like a shot. You just want to spend as much time as possible with these characters. Well – actually – you can do that by going to the Open Air Theatre in Regent’s Park. And I strongly urge you to do so.”
London Theatre1: *** “Owen Horsley’s take on Twelfth Night or What You Will (to give it its full title) is an interesting one and certainly has given the play a different and contemporary slant. However, Kwame Kwei-Armah’s 2018 energetic, youthful carnival infused (and much shorter) production of the play at the Young Vic set the bar very high and I’m not sure this production quite reaches those heights.”
Theatre Weekly: **** “Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre’s opening production for this year reimagines Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night as the queer cavalcade it perhaps should always have been. Owen Horsely and a fine cast, make this a thoroughly entertaining evening.”
Twelfth Night will play at the Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre until the 8th June. You can also book tickets via: London Theatre Direct or London Box Office.