" This is a fine play, and I certainly wouldn't denigrate the great WS, but it's not quite as good on paper as many other Shakespeare plays. Some read better than others, though of course they were all created for live performances on stage, not to be anthologized, studied, and certainly not tested over in school. Because so much of it is visual, especially the Malvolio subplot, it's not as lyrical as say As You Like It or Hamlet, and thus while it is good to read, it is sometimes a bit tedious, especially when one wonders what happened to all the loose ends like Antonio and the Captain. Does Maria regret what she has done, or does she not even care, now that she has finally secured Sir Toby (although why she would want him is somewhat inscrutable). Perhaps one positive aspect to the play in a written form is that it's far easier to imagine/believe Viola as Cesario being mistaken for Sebastian when not seeing the obvious limitations of that complicated set-up on stage/film. Still, it was good enough for the Elizabethan groundlings, so it should be good enough for us (not to imply I think we are better). Certainly Anton Lesser's Feste is unmatched, cemented by his inclusion in the great Michael Wood's In Search for Shakespeare. Having Richard Briers and Kenneth Branagh doesn't hurt that production either. Despite what American movie versions try to do with this, it still retains its worthy rank among Shakespeare's great plays, especially when seen/experienced beyond the page. "
— Chris, 1/23/2014