Writer: William Shakespeare

Director: Kathryn McGurk & Ben Newman

Twelfth Night comes to Killruddery House and Gardens in Wicklow, in a show that proves Shakespeare comedies can still be funny. Directors Kathryn McGurk and Ben Newman merge  dance, music and slapstick in this adaptation of Off The Ground’s first ever play. 

After a well-choreographed shipwreck, siblings Viola (Ariana Parr) and Sebastian (Harry Clark) are separated. Viola dresses up like a man and finds work for the Duke Orsino (Morgan Lewis), sparking an absurd love rectangle between Orsino, Lady Olivia (Charlotte Cumming), Viola and Sebastian. While characters dressing up as one another is not as Earth-shatteringly funny as it was 500 years ago, the cast of Twelfth Night do a good job of bringing the play into 2026 while keeping it authentic. They even make the audience laugh.

Twelfth Night takes place in the open air, enveloped in a makeshift amphitheatre of high-reaching hedges; the audience sit in the shadow of the magnificent Killruddery House, surrounded by beautiful gardens, and the Wicklow mountains beyond. The set is simple, the crew allowing the elegance of the grounds to do the scene-setting.

Grace Goulding and Dan Meigh do an excellent job developing the choreography. Ariana Parr is exceptional as Viola, and has great rapport with Charlotte Cumming’s Olivia. Rebecca Phythian’s Feste is very believable and enjoyable. Phil Rayner provides much comedic value as Sir Toby Belch throughout both acts. Rayner’s timing and ability to be funny off-the-cuff gives the play a spontaneous, contemporary energy that is much needed. Harry Clark’s spartan appearances as Sebastian are well received, and he embraces his character superbly. 

The production is authentic Shakespeare, but the crew attempt to interweave Carroll’s Wonderland into the story. Rayner’s Toby a Mad Hatter, Phythian’s Feste a Cheshire Cat. The whimsical absurdism of Alice’s world works well in bringing this farcical reimagining of Illyria to life. This is helped by Cumming, also the costume designer for the production, who mixes contemporary and period dress, authentic and absurd. The result is that the audience are taken down a Shakespearean rabbit hole. The introductory track is by Little Simz, immediately showing the audience this adaptation will veer from the traditional. Cher, Prince, Abba and Elvis all feature during the performance.

The things audiences found funny in the 16th Century are different from what they find funny in the 21st. It is a reality Shakespeare fans must face. Twelfth Night manages to keep the show entertaining, despite an unfortunate 20 minute delay due to a power cut. After a slightly long first act the play hits the ground running, and the entire second act is perfect. Funny, entertaining, captivating and well performed. 

Mixing modern and traditional, the cast performs a stage jig after the final metaphorical curtain, dancing to the Blues Brothers and inviting the audience to join. Off The Ground are not the Royal Shakespeare Company, and nor do they pretend to be. The play is fun, enjoyable, and knows when to keep to the text, and when to stray away from it. 

Reviewed 14th August 2026.

https://www.thereviewshub.com/twelfth-night-killruddery-house-and-gardens-bray/