I An Early Production

Grey River Argus, 11 June 1904, Page 3

I An Early Production

It was at one time believed that NflgJitf' was among the latest of Shakespeare's plays. Indeed it was not till 1828, on th© discovery of an important piece of evidence, 1 that the record of the first production was definitely fixed. Among the manuscripts in the British museum is a small volume containing the diary of a member of the Middle Temple from January 1601-2 to April 1603} The writer of the diary has been cleverly identified as John Manningham, who was called to the English 1 bar in 1605. The following entry in. the diary is of interest towday, when over three hundred years after the first production of "Twelfth Night," the Hokitika amateurs are about to essay the performance of this great comedy of long ago. Here is the quaint language of the times is the first known criticism of Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night."— Febr: 1601. "At our feast wee had a play caller Twelve night or what you will, much like the commedy of errores or Menechmi in Plautus, but most like and neere to that in Italian called Inganni a good practise in it to make the steward beleeue his Lady widdowe was in Love with him by counterfayting a letter, as from his lady in generall termes, telling him what shee liked best in him, and prescribhis gesture in smiling his apparaile etc. And then when he came to practise making him beleeue they tooke him to be mad." This brief description establishes the identity of the play, though the outlines here deals only with the scond plot of the piece. This, however, is not remarkable, for the records further show that at one period the fortune of the steward MaJvolio, were considered the central feature of the play, and as such the piece was at one time named after the great character of th© play. "Twelfth Night," however, contains a double plot. Apart from the . comedy which surrounds the madly . used Malcolio there is the dual love t themes of the Duke and Viola, and I Olivia and Sebastia. In these pass- , ages the play rises to the dramatic, i and some very fine scenes result. We r have ever the stately diction of Shakespeare, whose language is so embracing that a world of meaning is contained in a single line of thought. , This, supplanted by good characterisations, appropriately dressed in the , period of long ago, supply a stage picture' at once novel and interesting.