TWELFTH NIGHT

A review by Ellie Farrow

As part of their annual Shakespeare for Schools project, Southwark Playhouse cleverly creates a brand new rendition of the classic production, Twelfth Night. Across the run of the show, over 1,400 young people from local schools with see the performance. The project aims to enable young people to engage with Shakespeare and to give them the opportunity to see live theatre that is exciting and contemporary.

This rendition of Twelfth Night was beautifully directed by Anna Girvan, reinvented with a festival vibe and live music on stage. Each audience member was given a wristband, along with their ticket, to help set this scene. Anna Reid’s set design also transported you, with colorful strips of cloth hanging from the ceiling and grass laid on the floor – this was truly reflective of being at a summer festival.

I found this production incredibly human, it was simple and eloquent and didn’t try to be anything it wasn’t. For example, during funny moments, some of which were improvised, a few of the cast might break character to laugh. However, this corpsing on stage seemed so natural and they just let it happen – this is what made it such a delight to watch.

Another thing that needs to be commended is the intimacy between the cast members*. There were only 6 people making up the show, all except one double cast as roles, yet this team still successfully managed to create a strong ensemble. An example of this is during the beginning party scene.

Furthermore, using Shakespeare in a modern setting is difficult, but the actors came at their lines with such a confidence that the modernisms seemed to fit. The actors would occasionally seem to ad lib, breaking from Shakespearean dialect. This worked because of the way the actors delivered it.

This piece is also significantly inclusive. Antonia, played by Caroline Parker, communicated with British Sign Language, also used by Sebastian, which is delightful. It is telltale of an ever-increasing awareness of BSL and BSL users in theatre today.

My favourite aspect of the play was the live music accompaniment. Directed and composed by Anna Clock, but played by each of the cast members in turn. None did this quite so successfully as Aruhan Galieva, who played Feste. She effortlessly switched between instruments, adding to scenes in subtle yet humorous ways.

Overall, it was a delightful piece, made personal to each audience member due to the intimacy of the theatre itself. It is fresh and clever and fun, and I would recommend it to anyone.

*Becky Barry, Aruhan Galieva, Sapphire Joy, Caroline Parker, Liv Spencer, Luke Wilso