Forms of Comedy
(Sequence Ten)

Twelfth Night

We see the rehearsal of Malvolio's yellow-stockinged entrance before Olivia. The scene has clearly benefited from a lot of work, and we see the students already confident about their lines and their characters. It is evident that the students are happy to take direction and develop their performances. The scene ends with discussion about a stage slap, which is effectively executed. However, its placement after the first of the Malvolio lines 'Some are born great …' is rather mystifying, given that the final line with its suggestive use of the word 'thrust' is both more threatening and inappropriate.

Teachers should be referred to this scene as performed in the Channel 4 version of the play in which Olivia is clearly overwhelmed and scared by Malvolio's behaviour. The students at Thomas Tallis School are clearly eager to play the scene with Olivia reasserting her high-status role by hitting Malvolio. It might be very rewarding to play this scene in different ways to see how the lines allow for different interpretations. It may be that this more slapstick approach is ideal for creating the scene with younger actors.
The accident of casting allows for the additional humour that arises from so small a Malvolio attempting to seduce a significantly larger Olivia. It is clear that the students have not only absorbed their roles but also maintained their characters very effectively – Malvolio's complacent smiling and Olivia's shock are well sustained.