Twelfth Night, after William Shakespeare

I think in all likelihood how much pleasure one derives from the slightly bizarre adaptation of "Twelfth Night" hinges heavily on whether one actually likes Kabuki. Personally, I can't get enough of the stuff. It's so seldom seen in Britain but I find the vocal style utterly beguiling and the slow controlled movements transfixing. Others, I have no doubt, find this unbelievably dull and not a little bit silly.

As a Shakespeare it isn't a brilliant reinvention, the gains from the all male casting and having several actors play multiple parts are rather undone by the unsatisfactory problems this causes in the closing moments. The vocal style, which I love, doesn't easily translate and it's very difficult to tell to what extent Shakespeare is being properly delivered. Emotions aren't always clear because they are so stylistically presented. When Kabuki last came to London, a headset fed in-depth analysis of everything on stage and intellectually it was quite an experience, here much of what makes Kabuki what it is totally eluded me.

As a Shakespeare then this is pretty much a failure. As a piece of entertainment, it's first rate. The stage is filled with some of the most spectacularly beautiful images. The constant presence of floor to ceiling mirrors only accentuates the unbelievably attractive costumes and sets. I'd kill for one of the kimonos; western clothes have nothing on these. The rapid costume changes never cease to amaze.

The performers are a fairly astonishing bunch. Kabuki is their lives and it shows in the impossibly precise motion and vocal work. Onoe Kikugoro VII is the head of this group and his Malvolio was fantastic, a bundle of self-important arrogance, but his Feste lacked interest and little was gained from the doubling of the role. Onoe Kikunosuke V did an absolutely smashing job as Viola and Sebastien, for the majority of the piece this was a clever bit of doubling and he differentiated the characters (and sexes) brilliantly. His male playing female playing male was startling impressive. Stealing the limelight was Ichikawa Kamejiro II as Maria who was so consistently hysterical I wished Maria was a larger role. There wasn't a weak link in the cast, the style might not always lend itself to Shakespeare but I couldn't fault the performers for that.

Ultimately this "Twelfth Night" amounted to very little substantial content but there was barely a dull moment in a show of more than three and a half hours and for that one cannot really complain. Such is the skill of the performers and the beauty of the designs that just sitting back and absorbing is an experience to remember.