Anyone who attended Peter Hughes’ and Linda Daman’s magical and inventive interpretation of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night – Wargrave Theatre’s contribution to the 2026 Wargrave Festival – will agree entirely with any or all of the three glowing and enthusiastic reviews that were received and are set out below: beginning with coverage by the Henley Standard; followed by a review (which is also being published in the July 2026 edition of Wargrave News) by our resident Shakespeare authority, Joe Haynes; with a NODA report from Cate Naylor bringing up the rear. Huge congratulations to everyone involved!
The articles are interspersed with a selection of the excellent photographs taken by David Williams and Peter Knowles, for which Wargrave Theatre extends their sincere gratitude.
Review Clara Aberneithie of the Henley Standard
Review by Joe Haynes, Wargrave Theatre
“Towards the end of the play when confronted by what she believes to be the identical twin of the young man she has just married; the Lady Olivia exclaims: “Most wonderful!”. Most wonderful is an apt description for this excellent production, set on Mill Green, with St Mary’s church as the backdrop. Wargrave Theatre has been utilising this uniquely magical location for its Festival Shakespeare productions for almost 50 years and this year, the performances were as memorable as ever.
Directed by Pete Hughes and Linda Daman with an experienced cast and a formidable team of set designers, builders, costumiers and hair stylists together with sound and lighting technicians, the almost capacity audiences were treated to a fast-moving production of one of Shakespeare’s most loved comedies.
As in many of Shakespeare’s comedies, the best lines and most memorable characters are female, albeit impersonating males. The main theme of Twelfth Night is sex and the sexual confusion created by cross-dressing as played by Rhianna Inman as Viola/Caesario and Emmajane Hughes as the Lady Olivia. The two principals portrayed the delicate relationship with the necessary confusion and sensitivity.
The accomplished comedic trio of Mike Watt as Sir Toby Belch, Jasper Holmes as Sir Andrew Aguecheek and Tanya Jessop as the flirtatious Maria gave pace and energy to the production. Maria is the play’s manipulator, and it is her cleverness that leads to Malvolio’s nemesis. Played by Oliver Godfrey with all the obsequious self-love the role demands. Malvolio is a wonderful caricature of an Elizabethan Puritan who despised theatre and all forms of social pleasures as enjoyed by Toby Belch and his friends.
Tom Warlow played the thwarted, lovesick Count Orsino. A difficult role that requires the actor to be emotionally attracted to the cross-dressing Viola/Caesario, to whom he proposes, without having seen her dressed as a female!
The production was sensitively enhanced by live music from the accomplished trio of Linda Daman, Flute, Alan Hill, Guitar and Julian Lancaster, Cello. Thank you, Wargrave Theatre, for a ‘most wonderful’ production.”
Report by Cate Naylor of NODA
National Operatic & Dramatic Association London Region
Society : Wargrave Theatre
Production : Twelfth Night
Written By : William Shakespeare
Date : 12/06/2026
Venue : Wargrave Mill Green
District : 13
Reviewer : Cate Naylor
© NODA CIO. All rights reserved
Show Report
“Thank you for the invitation to your open-air production of Twelfth Night and to your front of house manager Eilish for welcoming me.
One of Shakespeare’s best loved comedies, Twelfth Night is a complicated, multi-layered play which brings together disguise, deception and the madness of love. Within its prose there are many twists and turns, and this talented cast delivered the dialogue with great pace to drive the action and delivered all of Shakespeare’s comedy.
Cast in order of appearance
Rhianna Inman (Viola/Cesario)
Rianna was excellent in the role as Viola, which she played with confidence and excellent stage presence. Viola is a complex character, who disguises herself as man servant Cesario, and Rhianna’s transition from maiden to man was neatly done. She was on stage for much of the performance and gave a very assured performance with just the right amount of wit and charm. She very clearly showed Cesario’s discomfort and guilt over Olivia’s desire for her, all the while finding herself falling for her master Count Orsino. Rhianna was a master of comedic reactions and had some wonderful facial expressions and physicality. This was especially so when she found herself the object of Olivia’s amorous advances and when she was mistakenly being accused of theft. Rhianna gave an accomplished performance and was a delight to watch.
Simon Calverley (Sea Captain/Officer)
Simon portrayed these two small roles with distinct and different characters. As the Captain he was kind and reassuring, aiding Viola in her transition to become a manservant in Count Orsino’s court, whilst as the officer he was stern and business-like as he arrested Antonio.
Tom Warlow (Count Orsino)
Tom had great stage presence which was fitting for a wealthy man of breeding, and he delivered his lines clearly and in character. His portrayal of lovelorn Count Orsino who was desperately in love with Lady Olivia, had just the right mixture of frustration and self-pity when she did not return his love. His movement around the stage was confident, although in the first act, he looked to be struggling a bit with the cloak he had over one shoulder which kept slipping. In his demeanour, he was masterful in his dealings with his staff and he had just the right amount of swagger for a nobleman. Tom had some nice contrasts in his characterisation with some lovely confusion as he found himself falling for his manservant Cesario before to his obvious relief realising that ‘he’ was really ‘she’!!
Lloyd Scrivener (Curio and Officer) and Graham Howe (Valentine and Priest)
These two worked well together as attendants to Orsino, acting as messengers and go-betweens. They both spoke clearly and communicated well, adding a little comic aside every now and then. Lloyd was suitably stern as he arrested Antonio (with Simon) and communicated volumes in his words, demeanour, and facial expressions. I was also amused as he delivered seagull sound effects as he carried the coast location. Apologies if it was someone else!
In his role as the Priest brought in by Olivia to marry her to Sebastian (mistaken for Cesario) Graham showed some lovely comedy as he told a shocked Orsino that he has sealed an “eternal bond of love” between Cesario and Olivia.
Mike Watt (Sir Toby Belch)
Mike gave an excellent performance as Sir Toby, Olivia’s uncle and from the moment he entered the stage, we knew he was going to be a lot of fun. His character was rather fond of the booze, and he made the audience laugh with his physicality, (his breaking of wind) and his increasingly bawdy behaviour as he bounded around the stage. He had good diction whilst playing a silly character and maintained the clarity of his speech even as he became increasingly intoxicated. He had a very good rapport with Jasper who played Sir Andrew as they plotted to and subsequently carried out the plan to play tricks on Malvolio.
Tanya Jessop (Maria)
Tanya gave a very good and very lively portrayal of Olivia’s maid, Maria. She had some wonderful facial expressions and characterisation as she excitedly plotted Malvolio’s downfall with Sir Toby and Sir Andrew. It was clear from the start that she was up for fun and tricks at Malvolio’s expense and she delivered her lines with a twinkle in her eye, a cheeky smile and delightful and excited anticipation of what was to come.
Jasper Holmes (Sir Andrew Aguecheek)
Jasper very convincingly brought Sir Andrew Aguecheek, Sir Toby’s drinking partner, to life. He showed the silliness of Sir Andrew’s nature with superb characterisation. His facial expressions, physicality, and comic timing were all perfect for the role and his stupidity and descent into gradual drunkenness was never overdone. His duel with Cesario was very well done and his reluctance at finding himself fighting was very funny. Jasper threw himself fully into the role, capturing all the nuances of Sir Andrew’s character.
Conor Black (Feste)
In his portrayal of Feste, Conor made the role of the fool his own as he moved between Orsino’s and Olivia’s households delivering Feste’s wit and charm in his dialogue. Unlike other versions of Feste that I have seen, which focus on the frivolity and physicality of the fool, Conor’s portrayal was more about entertaining with music and singing, which he did very well. His scene when he pretended to be Sir Topas and convinced Malvolio that he was going mad was, though, very comical. Conor engaged the audience, singing Tudor ballads with a lovely rich bass-baritone voice, clear diction and wonderful musicality.
Emmajane Hughes (Lady Olivia)
Emmajane was dignified in her portrayal of Lady Olivia. Clearly a woman of high status, she moved around the stage with confidence and decorum, and she delivered her lines with clear diction and grace. Initially sombre and grieving for her family, she showed a complete change in character as her mourning was forgotten and she fell in love with young Cesario. Chasing him relentlessly, she released unbridled passion in her attempts to win him over, making him very uncomfortable. In contrast and much to her delight, her humorous and cheeky flirtation with a very willing Sebastian was met with lots of enthusiasm as she proposed marriage. Emmajane is a natural comedian and she was very funny as she manhandled Sebastian, dragging him off stage with her.
Oliver Godfrey (Malvolio)
As head of Olivia’s servants, Oliver gave a very good performance as Malvolio, He had just the right amount of haughty disdain and captured the superciliousness of the character perfectly. It was not hard to see why he was so detested by the others and was the butt of all their jokes. His facial expressions were wonderful, and I was impressed that he kept a straight face for most of the play despite everything that was going on around him and the ridicule that he had to endure. In contrast, it was very funny when he donned his cross-gartered yellow stockings and swore his love for Olivia. His facial expressions, exaggerated smiles and physicality were perfect, and he really captured the humour of the role.
Clive Dow (Antonio)
Clive was gentle and loyal in his portrayal of the sea captain who had rescued Sebastian in the storm and entered Illyria with him, even though he himself was likely to be arrested. He was clearly very fond of Sebastian and angered when his pleas for help from Cesario (whom he had thought was Sebastian) were ignored.
Freddy Wheelwright (Sebastian)
Although on stage far less than his twin Viola, Freddy totally threw himself into the part. His demeanour and facial expressions, when Olivia was flirting with him and proposing marriage, were perfect and it was very clear what he was thinking. He gave some delightful grins in response to Olivia’s “come hither” lines and, in contrast, he showed absolute joy and a lovely softness when he rediscovered his twin. Although I was amused when he mouthed a modern three letter abbreviation that was not in Shakespeare’s script, in future, just be a little careful about that. That apart, this was a good performance which captured the essence of the role.
Rachael Wood (Fabienne)
Rachael gave a very funny set of announcements about mobile phones and photography ‘Shakespeare’ style at the beginning of the play which set the tone for the production. In her role as Fabienne, she entered enthusiastically into the scheming against Malvolio, as she collaborated fiendishly with Sir Toby and Sir Andrew. Her physical theatre and comedy were very much in evidence as she hid with them behind a bush to watch Malvolio and pretended to be a statue holding an urn. Her facial expressions were animated, and her line delivery was clear and spirited.
Sanneke Fidler (Arabella), Jenny Manning (Prudence), Celia Reinbolt (Constance), Elizabeth Hawse (Arabella) Together, this band of servants managed the scene changes smoothly and efficiently, always in character, adding some interest to the scene changes. Dressed in period costumes they gave characterful performances as Olivia’s staff adding a lot of humour to the scene changes. I was particularly amused by the maid [Jenny] who kept slugging from the beer and wine bottles.
Creatives
Peter Hughes & Linda Daman (Directors)
This was a very strong cast, who worked brilliantly together to convey the story, and it was obvious that the directors had worked with them to understand their characters which they established as soon as they entered the stage. All of them looked very comfortable in their roles and they had developed brilliant relationships. There were some superb characterisations and physicality from the cast, and they eked out all the wonderful comedy of Shakespeare’s writing. The pace, feeling and emotion throughout the play was tight and the play romped along apace. Shakespeare is not easy, but this cast all seemed very comfortable with the words and their delivery and phrasing of the prose and comedy was very well done. The directors used the open-air acting area well, bordering it with stone arches, creating entrances for the cast to come through stage right and an area for the musicians stage left. They brought out all the humour of the play without overexaggerating it and gave us a very funny drunken scene and some hilarity as Sir Tony, Sir Andrew and Fabienne were eavesdropping on Malvolio in the garden. The changes of location were indicated by members of the cast carrying boards across the stage. Each did this with aplomb and some funny winks, blown kisses and amusing facial expressions.
Alan Hill (Musical Director, Composer & Guitar) with Linda Daman (Flute) & Julian Lancaster (Cello) Alan had composed ‘Tudor-style’ music for the show, which the band played before the play started and the audience entered, as underscore for some of the scenes and scene changes as well as to accompany the dances. It is always nice to have live music for a Shakespeare play, as it makes it feel more authentic for the era.
The band also accompanied Feste when he sang to entertain his masters, as well as for the group song at the beginning of act 2.
Josie Daman (Choreography)
The group dance was choreographed to be of the Tudor style and the cast danced with energy and much Tudor frivolity. The fight choreography was well designed and combined rapier fighting with comedic physical theatre.
Linda Daman, Emmajane Hughes, Kate Calverley, Judi Rowlands & Kate Robinson (Costumes) Set in the late Elizabethan period, the costumes were of the era and transported us back to the 16th Century. The colour palette, which was predominately burgundy, brown, and rust for the noble men and women and their staff, allowed for an obvious contrast with Olivia and Malvolio’s black mourning clothes and for Feste’s yellow attire. It was very effective having Viola and Sebastian in identical costumes and with long hair tied back. Their similar height and build also made their likeness even more believable and impactful. Malvolio’s black costume gave perfect contrast for his cross-gartered yellow stockings, and his gold chains gave him the gravitas he felt he deserved amongst his fellow servants. In the second act, Olivia’s colourful dress mirrored her change of mood and her flirtatious nature. The officer’s costumes also worked well and clearly signified that they were officials.
Linda Daman & Harriet Wigmore-Welsh (Properties)
The props worked well, with fine looking rapiers in sword belts, money pouches, authentic brown beer bottles and goblets. I always prefer bottles to have liquid in them as they handle more realistically and look more authentic when they are poured. The letters looked authentic on creamy yellow aged paper, but (and I might be mistaken), they looked to be typed rather than handwritten. The wheeled contraption which served as a stylised prison for Malvolio was very creative.
Joanna Simmons, Sheila Williams & Sheila Brocklebank (Painters & Scenic Artists) Dave Robinson, Henry Marchant & David Calverley (Set Construction & Site Management) The set was well designed to make good use of the outside acting area with well-built painted arches which served as wings for cast entrances and exits as well as giving an area to store props and set pieces. The painted stonework was very effective, and I loved the two life-sized painted statues complete with removable props which the cast used very effectively. The large bush worked well in the scene with Malvolio and gave the opportunity for comedy as Sirs Toby and Andrew hid behind it with Fabienne.
David Williams, Simon Calverley & Matt Pearse (Lighting)
As the sun went down and the light faded, (and this is a complement) the lighting of the acting area remained so effective and natural that I didn’t notice it! I don’t know if the lighting team were responsible for the purple lighting of the church building behind the stage area, but it gave a lovely backdrop for the play.
Thank you so much for inviting me to review your production of Twelfth Night, which I enjoyed immensely. It is always such a treat to watch Shakespeare in the open air and the setting of the Wargrave Mill Green is a perfect venue. Congratulations to all the actors and creative team, it was a wonderful production. I look forward to joining you for your next show.”
Cate
Cate Naylor
NODA London District 13 Representative
