A joyous and engaging production that sets this popular Shakespearean comedy to a funky disco beat, combining language from the 1600s with dance moves from the 1970s. Rating
Excellent!
If music be the food of love, disco music is surely an all-you-can-eat buffet, catering to every situation and emotion. This version of Twelfth Night gives the Shakespeare favourite a 70s makeover that combines the Bard’s poetic wit with funky tunes, sequins and flares. It is a combination that works very well. It is produced by the Acting Gymnasium, a weekly workshop for actors wanting to explore and perform classic texts.
For those unfamiliar with the story, Twelfth Night features twins, separated during a shipwreck, who wash up on the fictional island of Illyria. The female twin, Viola, dresses up as a man and gets a job as a manservant to wealthy nobleman Duke Orsino. Part of her job is to help her employer woo Olivia, the woman whom he wants to marry. Olivia isn’t interested, but is taken with the young servant, who in turn falls in love with her boss. It is an excuse for a lot of fun, much of it based on gender confusion.
The young cast performs well as a group, especially in the big choreographed dance sequences. Not only are the cast strong movers, but they also deliver the Elizabethan language in a really natural way that makes the dialogue easy to follow and enjoy.
Charles Worthington is a commanding Orsino with sharp diction, sharp dance moves, and a sharp all-white John Travolta-style suit. Molly Hockham is a consistently solid and energetic presence as Viola. Aryan Chavda and Stephan Saintclair provide a mesmerising comic double act, with all the body language and facial expressions of drunken reprobates. Helen Probert is a sensitive and thoughtful tragi-comic Malvolio. Despite the hilarity of the situation, she plays him as a sympathetic character, enabling the audience to feel his pain rather than simply laugh at him.
The play is shortened to two hours including the interval, and this makes the experience especially accessible to those who are not seasoned Shakespeare-lovers. Thanks to careful editing and directing by Gavin McAlinden, the plot develops at a rapid pace. The first half flew by and the second half, while longer, never dragged.
This version of Twelfth Night dispenses with the songs included in the original. Instead, they are replaced by classic 70s tracks, cleverly chosen to reflect the mood of the moment. For example, ‘O Mistress Mine’ is replaced by a coy ‘Yes Sir, I Can Boogie’. Instead of ‘Come Away Death’, Feste the jester belts out Abba’s ‘The Winner Takes It All’. A skillful acrobatic fight scene is accompanied by the Carl Douglas hit ‘Kung Fu Fighting’.
The design is unashamedly low budget. All the action takes place in a single setting, Duke’s bar, with glamour indicated by a glitter ball, tinsel curtains and party lighting. While some might be disappointed that neither the sea nor the lavish homes of the protagonists are shown, the minimal set works well in the small pub environment of the Drayton Arms Theatre and removes the need for time-consuming scene changes.
Unlike some more traditional productions, the vibe is inclusive and welcoming – at one point the audience is even invited to show off their own disco moves. The Acting Gymnasium team does a great job of delivering a joyous and engaging experience.
Directed by Gavin McAlinden
Designed by Camille Godechoux
Lighting by Jonathan Simpson
Twelfth Night plays at the Drayton Arms Theatre until Saturday 26 September.
