REVIEW: Twelfth Night, Collingwood RSC

The Wardroom Gardens at HMS Nelson was a perfect backdrop for this lively and well enunciated troupe to bring vividly to life one of Shakespeare's bawdiest plays. Incredibly well disciplined throughout, use of the outside space in front and beyond saw characters arrive and depart around a distant sunken garden, used most inventively in the initial scene as the players stagger from a hostile sea onto dry lllyria. Use of human furniture was equally as inventive, the "creak" swing doors bringing much laughter. A superb all round cast was headed by Jane Blatch-Gainey as a savvy Feste, Tim Stokes as a highly watchable Sir Toby Belch and Liz Philo a suitably haughty but vulnerable Malvolio. Abi Philo and Joe Allan gave emotion, wit and depth as the parted siblings, whilst Leonie Stewart and David Powell as their master and mistress, matched them with guile, sparkle and warmth. Direction was flawless of a judiciously cut script, playing to the considerable strengths of this talented group.

David Putley