Twelfth Night

'Mary McCartney: Twelfth Night' is the spontaneous photographic documentation of one night from the backstage of a performance of Shakespeare's play, at the Belasco Theatre on Broadway. Initially invited to take pictures of the Oscar-winning actor Mark Rylance preparing himself for the stage, McCartney was consequently welcomed into the inner sanctum of this close-knit ensemble to photograph cast and crew-including Rylance transforming into a bereaved Olivia and Stephen Fry as a brooding Malvolio. The candid nature of McCartney's photographic style-a style based upon the collaboration and trust of its subjects-perfectly captures the intimacy at the core of this unique theatre company, gained over ten years of international touring. 'Twelfth Night' illuminates the entire performative arc-the meticulous rituals of costume and makeup; a table tennis match in full Elizabethan dress; the ethereal tension of the stage wings; Shakespearean queens transfixed upon a backstage television where a European Cup match blares; the euphoria following the curtain call.