Dish of festive merriment

Published on isbi School News dated Monday 6th of January 2014

A magical mix of mirth and melancholy unfolded in an acclaimed production of Shakespeare's festive comedy, 'Twelfth night' at Wisbech Grammar School.

The play, which is believed to have been written as an entertainment for the twelfth night of Christmas, revolves around mistaken identities and unrequited love and features the celebrated comic scene of the puritanical killjoy, Malvolio, disporting himself in bright yellow stockings.

A cast of 30 students aged from 18 to 11 had been rehearsing after school every day and on Sundays for the show and director Miss Alison Clayton, who was taking charge of her 12th production in a row at the school said she chose the play because she had the perfect person to act the fool, Feste.

Upper sixth form student David MacLachlan, who was stepping into the fool's shoes, needed to be able to act, sing and play a musical instrument and he performed period music on the mandolin, providing a touch of sadness in the midst of the high jinks and merriment.

Aficianados of the play would have been temporarily wrong-footed by the opening of the production, but the overall direction was closely in line with a traditional reading of the text.

Miss Clayton said: 'In many ways 'Twelfth night' is my favourite of the comedies. As always it is a question of being able to fit the cast to your imagination and this year I was lucky enough to be able to do this one, thanks to the talent and imagination of the Wisbech Grammar School pupils.'

Head of food and nutrition Mrs Alison Sloan and her talented team cooked up a range of seventeenth century delicacies which were served up during the interval.