National Theatre gives Shakespeare a lesbian twist
Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night has been given a lesbian twist thanks to a new National Theatre production.
Simon Godwinās production of the Shakespeare comedy recently opened at the National Theatre, with a cast including Episodes starĀ Tamsin Greig.
Greig takes on the roleĀ of the usually-male puritanical steward Malvolio, who is tricked into believingĀ his boss is in love with him.
However, in Godwin’s production the character is gender-flipped asĀ Malvolia – a changeĀ that brings a distinct lesbian elementĀ to theĀ 415-year-old story.
Speaking to the Evening Standard, Greig praised the fluid nature of gender in theatre, adding that now “there is no part that a woman canāt do”.
She said:Ā “I think the way Simon has directed it, he has really opened the conversation about the fluidity of identity.
“We donāt define ourselves nowadays ā possibly always, but the conversation is hot now ā within recognised boundaries anymore.
“Because it is a hot conversation you have to be careful about how you participate in it, and not just participate in it for its own sake.”
A string of recentĀ Shakespeare adaptations have embraced the gender-fluidity that was at the heart of traditional Shakespeare productions.
A Game of Thrones star recently voiced ‘Romeo and Jude’, whileĀ Queer as Folk showrunnerĀ Russell T Davies altered Midsummer Nightās Dream to incorporate a lesbian kiss.
Davies explained: “I wanted to have a man with a man, a man who was dressed as a woman with a man, and a woman with a woman because itās 2016, so thatās the world now.”
