TWELFTH NIGHT
Designed
by James Stokes, Creative Director, POPmedia Ltd, 01273
686986
www.popmedia.co.uk
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Venue:
The Scented Garden, St Anne's Well Gardens, Hove
Reviewer: Rowan Dore
Publication: The Argus
If music be the food of love, this is the spicy,
fast-food version of Shakespeare's endearing comedy of mistaken
identity.
The setting is in delightfully basic surroundings, which are perfect
for an outdoor production, providing the weather holds.
It is a barmy play for a balmy summer's evening.
The cast do incredibly well in the circumstances and in one hour
and 45 minutes they entertain with the funniest and whackiest Shakespearean
production I have ever seen.
The diction of every character is perfect, so you can hear every
word.
Their changing room is a wooden shelter and their backdrop a weeping
willow.
They and the audience have to put up with flying ants, midges, cooing
pigeons, singing birds, traffic, the sound of skateboarders, music
from nearby houses and even fireworks.
It all adds to the fun and each of the performances for the next
three weeks promises to be different.
All the cast needs is an appreciative audience and I hope they get
it because they are a talented bunch with a lot of experience.
The play has been directed by Brighton-based director Stephen Casey,
who normally can be found working with the Royal Shakespeare Company.
He has cut vast chunks out of the Bards' words, leaving in all the
choice lines. It is obvious that the cast have responded to his
ideas.
We have Lucinda Cowden, who played Melanie in Neighbours, as Viola
and then Cesario.
An amazingly camp performance from Charlie Day as Malvolio and a
highly professional portrayal of Maria from Sarah Mann, who is the
founder of the production company Incisor.
With Baz Bloxham as Sir Andrew Aguecheek and James Madden as Sir
Toby Belch, there is plenty of over-acting as the parts demand.
The show is held together by Feste (Eddy Segal), the roving clown
complete with guitar, and more serious performances by Asa Joel
as Orsino and Adam McConville as Sebastian.
If anyone thought Shakespeare was dull, they will surely change
their minds by watching this production.
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Venue:
The Pavilion Theatre, Brighton
Date: March 2006
Reviews
by children from a local school studying GCSE English for a Critic
Competition:
"Twelfth
Night, or as you like it, and by the audience's reaction they certainly
did. One of Shakespeare's classic romantic comedies brought to the
stage in all its glory. A thoroughly enjoyable romp. A drunken Toby
roared and staggered around the stage and the lovely yet confused
Olivia. What more could you ask for? Marvellous stuff. If you see
one Shakespeare this month make it Stephen Casey's Twelfth Night
at the Brighton Festival Dome." EH
"When
I found out that I was going to see Twelfth Night, I was a bit worried
that I wouldn't understand the language used. But I was wrong. You
could tell what was going on by the way the play was acted. The
actors emphasised the parts that were important so, even if you
didn't understand all of the language, you were able to enjoy the
play….. I think it's more of a comedy than a romance. It is
definitely Shakespeare but they've spiked it up a bit. This is the
best Shakespeare play I've ever seen." BW
"Shakespeare,
oh please help me! These words were running through my mind as I
flopped down in the Brighton Dome to watch Incisor's version of
Twelfth Night. But that evening turned out to be the best. When
anyone mentioned Shakespeare to me I immediately thought of long,
boring, drawn out scenes with men and women mixing up the sexes.
This production has made me think the exact opposite…. Even
though the language was quite hard to keep up with, nothing could
have dampened this company's energetic production of Twelfth Night,
complete with laughter, love and deception. I am a convert."
DL
"…
It was lively and boisterous, the actors leaping about the stage,
making each character as hearty and robust as a mug of ale…It
sparkles with life. A strong performance from Lucinda Cowden as
Viola and Michael D'Cruze's hilariously dignified Malvolio, plus
a generally exuberant atmosphere made it a worthwhile evening which
most could enjoy". SB
"Twelfth Night is remarkable on just about every account…
a merry tale told well by an excellent cast." MP
"Upon
seeing the Twelfth Night, I banished all thoughts of Shakespeare
being overrated. I truly understood for the fist time why he has
achieved such remarkable stature in theatre. The play was a hilarious
and tangled web, with a fantastic blend of traditional and modern
acting…An ideal story line is topped off by passionate acting
from an acting troupe that manages to, almost effortlessly, create
a lively, bouncy atmosphere. Whilst normally the play may be a struggle
to watch, the actors manage to turn it into an exultant, leisurely
performance…. and produce a tantalizing slice of genius….
I can recommend this to all audiences and don't doubt that everyone
will love this colourful, whimsical, rambunctious performance."
JH
"…
Throughout the whole play, I could tell that I wasn't the only one
who was enjoying the performance, because the audience were also
completely drawn into the story and you could hear the right laughs
at the right times and no insensible comments were made at all (This
was a huge difference to the plays we see in school!!). The acting
and the cast were fabulous. It was a great success and I thoroughly
enjoyed it. It was well above my expectation and it made me left
in awe… A very well-done production indeed!" LM
FOR
DETAILS OF THE PRODUCTION, PLEASE VISIT OUR PAGES AT:
http://www.london-drama-school.co.uk/12thNight.htm
