Playing at the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne, Southern Cross Lawn until February 28. Tickets and more info at: shakespeareaustralia.com.au.
Not even a rain-soaked evening could put a dampener on the opening night performance of one of William Shakespeare’s most light-hearted and irreverent plays, a gender-bending romantic comedy that is given a fairly traditional rendering by the talented players of the Australian Shakespeare Company, but there’s of course a few anachronistic elements included to jazz up and modernise the story for modern audiences.
With plenty of audience interaction and a wonderful use of the Royal Botanic Gardens’ Southern Cross Lawn area, Twelfth Night begins with a wry rendition of the classic Christmas carol The Twelve Days of Christmas, which sets the tone for the wacked out comedy and irreverence that is to follow for the next two and a half hours.
The plot is not as intricate as some of the Bard’s works but is captivating nonetheless, set in the region of Illyria, and focusing on the shipwrecked twin Viola (Elizabeth Brennan) who survives the wreck and is separated from her twin brother Sebastian, and soon decides to disguise herself as a boy named Cesario. But it’s not long before she becomes the object of affection of Countess Olivia (Nicole Nabout), not knowing Viola’s true identity, and in turn Olivia is lusted after by the charming Duke Orsino (Hugh Sexton).
Pulling the strings and manipulating proceedings from the sidelines are a gaggle of comedic side characters, including drunken lout Sir Toby Belch (Jackson McGovern), guitar-playing jester Feste (Alex Cooper), the foppish Sir Andrew Aguecheek (Tony Rive), spirited maid Maria (Maddie Somers) and excitable servant Fabian (Henny Walters). Their misadventures make up the bulk of the play’s running time and it’s a delight to watch their comedic chemistry and wild slapstick play out.
Twelfth Night feels like two plays at once, with some characters playing out a sincere, heartfelt romance while the others are in a flat-out farce, but director Glenn Elston OAM expertly meshes the two styles together and delivers a play that feels cohesive, with the drama complimenting the comedy well and vice versa.
Cooper, with guitar always in hand and sporting some striking KISS-inspired makeup, delivers some wonderful musical interludes, and every musical moment got a rousing response from the audience, especially one bluegrass-style number that sees our characters plunged into a ghoulish hell-like setting, with some suitably deep red lighting to match.
Brennan makes for a fun Viola/Cesario, doing a great job of keeping the story grounded even with all of the bizarre antics going on around her. Brennan especially shines in every scene she shares with Nabout, as they play out the classic romantic misunderstanding scenario. Brennan sports some cool David Bowie-inspired makeup as well which is very much in keeping with the glam rock aesthetic that the show seems to be inspired by in its costuming and with some of its music choices.
While the troupe of comedic characters all get their moments to shine, the standout is arguably the superb Rive as Sir Andrew, with his look and comedic timing recalling the legendary British comedian Peter Cook.
It also has to be said that it’s impressive that some of the actors featured in this production (such as McGovern and Somers) are fresh off appearances in Shakespeare’s Best Bits, which recently finished its run at the very same venue. To dive into another play immediately after finishing another show, proves how talented these troupe of performers are.
One small criticism would be that the set is not all that memorable and could have been used to greater effect. It’s a rather simple castle set that is serviceable but doesn’t really prove to be all that memorable a backdrop. In fact, it only really comes to life when aided by the show’s lighting effects, which helps to make the stage a more visually appealing experience.
But that is a minor complaint in what is another exceptional production from the Australian Shakespeare Company. Having never seen Twelfth Night before, I appreciated the chance to finally see one of Shakespeare’s more underrated and underseen works, but the jovial tone and bright and amusing collection of characters prove that this was the perfect production to grace the summer stage at the Royal Botanic Gardens.
Bright, bubbly and blisteringly funny, Twelfth Night is a must see that you must catch under the stars before the summer season comes to an end.
4/5 STARS
TINSEL and TAP SHOES 