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Twelfth Night

Botanic Garden, Glasgow

Four stars

 

The seven seas are rocking at the start of Bard in the Botanics’ main stage flagship production to mark the stalwarts of outdoor Shakespeare’s silver jubilee year. Once the storm subsides, twins Viola and Sebastian are all washed up on a strange island, with Viola landing in what by way of Heather Grace Currie’s design appears to be the beer garden of the sort of docklands boozer where men are very much men. In the whirligig of dressing up box cosplay that follows, for a while at least, so are some of the women. 

 

While her new pal Feste mainlines feelgood karaoke hits, Viola dons cap and trews like a sailor ashore, attracting the unwarranted attention of all comers. This includes handsome himbo Orsino, who treats his new sidekick like one of the boys, despite the pretty obvious truth staring him in the face. 

 

The boozer’s regulars led by Sir Toby Belch and Sir Andrew Aguecheek, meanwhile, belie their aristocratic origins to run riot like Olly Reed and Peter O’Toole on an epic bender. With Feste in tow, they prank poor old Malvolio with promises that he’ll soon be getting his rocks - and his socks - off with his mistress Olivia. With Sebastian already in her sights, alas, Olivia has other ideas. 

 

As summer madness gives way to the eternal game of kiss chase that ensues in Shakespeare’s all at sea rom-com, even the pub gets a flower strewn makeover in Jennifer Dick’s production. Having directed a 1960s tinged version of the play back in 2016, and appeared as Orsino in 2021, the play is clearly a favourite for Dick.

 

Her new look at it sees Lawrence Boothman double up as Feste and Sebastian, with the latter navigating a similar path to Rebecca Robin’s Viola en route to love and romance Illyrian style. For Viola, this comes in the form of Johnny Panchaud as a somewhat confused Orsino. 

 

Lauren Ellis-Steele’s Olivia ends up equally gobsmacked by the incomers’ appeal, while James Boal as Belch, Star Penders as Aguecheek and Tiare Hamilton as Olivia’s maid Maria provide the below stairs fun at the expense of Stephen Arden’s hapless Malvolio. In the end, with Viola and Sebastian reunited and secret identities revealed, their ship finally comes in to leave all involved blown away in a right old carry on for summer nights. 


The Herald, July 10th 2026

 

Ends 

 

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