Adaptations of Twelfth Night

Here, we will be taking a look at the adaptations of William Shakespeare's famous comedy, Twelfth Night.

She's The Man

She's the Man (2006) is one of the most popular adaptations of Twelfth Night, catering towards the teenage girl audience. In this romcom, Viola dresses up as her brother Sebastian in order to prove her skills as a soccer player. Although it's set in the modern day and its content varies slightly from the original play, it sticks pretty closely to the original plot conceptually.

Jamie Swise Mystery Games: The Twelfth Night Murder

This adaptation takes the form of a board game in which players have to discover the murder whose been going around backstage killing actors at a production of The Twelfth Night.

Twelfth Night Manga By Richard Appignanesi

This adaptation takes the form of a manga, depicting the original Shakespearean play through the classic Japanese style of comic.

Twelfth Night (1996)

Here we have another movie adaptation of the play, and it is again promoted as a romcom. This one stays closer to the original material than She's The Man, even using some of the lines from the actual play.

Your Own Thing (1968)

This is the first musical adapted from the Twelfth Night, although there were a couple other jukebox musicals made afterwards. In this musical, the twins Sebastian and Viola preform as a rock duet, until a shipwreck separates them. Viola then turns towards auditioning for a new rock band, The Apocalypse, but disguises herself as a man. Sebastian is then mistaken for Viola's disguise, and the classic chaos of a Twelfth Night ensues.

Twelfth Night: For Kids (Shakespeare can be Fun Series)

This is the final adaptation I found of Twelfth Night, and it comes in the form of a children's book. This book tells the story of Twelfth Night, but changes the dialogue and puts it into an AABB rhyme scheme more suitable for children. Furthermore, the story is supported by colorful illustrations of the characters.

The fact that adaptations for Twelfth Night can be found in just about any kind of media shows a lot about the play. It proves that Twelfth Night can be adapted into forms of media relevant for all audiences and age groups, showing that Shakespeare can be entertaining for anyone. Known as one of Shakespeare's most successful comedies, this play continues to entertain and delight its audience even in the modern day.

Resources:

Burdett, Lois, et al. Twelfth Night for Kids. Firefly Books, 1994.

“Jamie Swise Mystery Games: The Twelfth Night Murder.” BoardGameGeek, https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/6609/jamie-swise-mystery-games-twelfth-night-murder. Accessed 19 Dec. 2023.

Origin Theatrical | Your Own Thing. https://origintheatrical.com.au/work/9982. Accessed 7 Dec. 2023.

Shakespeare, William. Manga Shakespeare: Twelfth Night. Harry N. Abrams, 2011.

She’s the Man. Directed by Andy Fickman, Dreamworks Pictures, Lakeshore Entertainment, Donners’ Company, 2006.

Twelfth Night or What You Will. Directed by Trevor Nunn, Renaissance Films, BBC Film, Circus Films, 1996.