THE clouds parted and the rain kept at bay as Whalley Abbey was transformed into the spectacular backdrop for the bittersweet retelling of Twelfth Night.

The comedy was brought to life in slapstick splendour as Viola, played by the beautiful Jade Parker, arrived on the ‘cliffs of Illyria’ under an ancient tree in the abbey grouds.

Riotous disorder descended and the play verged on a pantomime in places as the cast made impromtu remarks to the audience with hilarious consequences.

But it was Michael Goodenough's Sir Toby Belch who stole the show as the jovial braggart and the bonhomie was given a real lift with his bawdy, drunken japester antics, especially when he stole a whole piece of brie from a picnic and gobbled the lot in one go.

Malvolio from Dean Taylor also gave a stand-out performance as he conveyed the dour melancholy of the character very well and certainly seemed to relish his puritanism.

His smile when it finally came as he donned his yellow stockings cross gartered was hideously forced into place and kept people chuckling till the very end.

* The show is at Turton Tower, today, tomorrow and Sunday at 2pm. For further information visit, www.shakespeare theatreoutdoors.co.uk