After its excellent 2007 production of Arthur Miller's The American Clock, the Oxford School of Drama returned to Chipping Norton Theatre last week with a far more familiar offering from the repertoire. Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, with its gallery of glorious roles - many of them richly comic - proved an ideal vehicle for demonstrating the strength of this admirable academy.

Director George Peck opted for minimalist designs, relying for most of his settings on two clothes rails pushed on their wheels into different configurations. Remarkably, these even offered a credible impression of storm-racked ships during the maritime mishap that sets the comedy of confusions in progress. The focus therefore remained firmly on the gaily caparisoned performers, who seized their roles with gusto.

Tall - remarkably tall! - and stately, Darryl Westell gave us a near-perfect Malvolio. The ludicrous conceit that his mistress Olivia could love him was impeccably handled; so, too, his pitiable fury when the vengeful deception practised on him is exposed. The chief architect of the plot, Maria, was given a suitably perky presentation by Caroline Kenny, though, as ever in this play, she struck me as far too sensible to succumb to the distinctly dubious charms of her accomplice, Sir Toby Belch, a gleefully roguish Robin Hemmings. His numbskull sidekick (and banker) Sir Andrew Aguecheek and the clown Feste were both competently portrayed by women - Siân Goff and Claire Timmins - though this smacked more of expediency (a shortage of men?) than a clear artistic purpose.

A serene and graceful Olivia from Sarah Winn, a well-spoken Orsino from Ryan Saunders and a confident, appealing Viola from Lauren Steele were other highlights of this thoroughly enjoyable production.