Twelfth Night
Stratford, 12 September 2007
The fifth exciting venture of the Upton Theatre Group was to Stratford on a warm September evening, to see Twelfth Night or What You Will.
Most of us travelled by minibus and Malcolm made sure that the driver
took the winding scenic route, through Woodstock and Chipping Norton.
We had brought picnics, so on arrival we scattered through the gardens
along the Avon, finding benches from which to admire the scene — boats
moored to the riverbank, a mini-Bridge of Sighs and flowerbeds.  We
were joined by John Grimshaw and Joyce, who have uprooted from Upton to
Botley but attend our outings.
The main Stratford theatre is closed for
restoration, so we headed for the Courtyard, where we found a throng of
people expectantly waiting outside. The lighting had failed — apparently
it often happens — but we were soon sitting round the small stage, some
in the front row with an unusually close-up sideways view — especially
of the grand piano which played a key role in this production.
The sets and costumes were Victorian, Sir Toby Belch and Sir
Andrew Aguecheek were amusingly played by women, and brother/sister
Sebastian and Viola were cleverly twinned by a young male actor. But
journeying home along the motorway, most of us agreed that Malvolio —
contriving steward of rich countess Olivia — had stolen the show.
CC-H