 By William Shakespeare
Directed by Adam Nichols
1st July 2008, 8pm
Maltings Arts Theatre, St Albans
7th-12th July 2008, 7.30pm
Bridewell Theatre
Bride Lane, Fleet Street, London, EC4Y 8EQ
Box Office
Telephone: 07807 521436
Online: Click here
7th July is a special performance in aid of Chrysalis School for Autism. Click here for more details.
Shakespeare meets High Society in a musical version of one of his best loved comedies, set on a cruise liner at the height of the roaring twenties.
Join us on board and meet our motley crew including the irascible Sir Toby Belch and the effete Sir Andrew Aguecheek. Witness a classic romance between the toffs Olivia and Orsino. And be entertained by a group of eccentric performers - the vaudeville cross dressing twins Viola and Sebastian, Cowardesque jazz singer Feste and 'Food of Love', the house band of the SS Illyria.
So dust off your dancing shoes and get ready to Charleston!
Click here to view the movie trailer.
Click here for photos.
Reviews
As near perfect a production of Twelfth Night as one could hope to see
Click here to read the review.
Music of the Night
TWELFTH Night set on a cruise liner in the 1920s - not the easiest concept to get your head around.
But Twelfth Night: The Musical, the latest production by St Albans drama group OVO, is a clever and highly-entertaining way of watching Shakespeare and shows the company at its innovative best.
Director Adam Nichols makes a good case for setting it on board ship in the roaring twenties, not least the fact that it is a class comedy with the sea as a recurring metaphor.
But it could have fallen flat on its face because so much of it is pertinent to being performed on dry land and it depends so much on the old Shakespeare chestnut of mistaken identity.
The fact that it works and provides a very enjoyable evening is tribute to Adam, his impressive team of performers and the ship's accomplished band - two of whom double up as actors - who perform an eclectic mix of music throughout the performance.
The comedy in Twelfth Night is milked for all it is worth - not an easy task with most Shakespearean plays, except possibly A Midsummer Night's Dream. Dan Warren is an excellent Sir Toby Belch, countered by Will Franklin's suitably dim Sir Andrew Aguecheek and Anna MacLeod's voluptuous Maria over whom the comic menfolk lust.
Howard Salinger's Feste is a masterclass in comic performance. He plays The Fool in a cunning and clever way, has an excellent singing voice and a charismatic presence.
Perhaps the unexpected star of the evening is Tim Robinson as Malvolio. Tim's sometimes deadpan delivery is adapted perfectly to the soliloquy when he finds what he believes to be a love letter from Olivia, played by Kathryn Rogers. His ruminations on whether slough is pronounced as in the Berkshire town or as sluff is the high spot of an excellent evening.
Faith Turner as Viola is almost unrecognisable from the flapper we meet at the beginning as the disguised Cesario, running around doing the bidding of David Widdowson's Orsino while being in love with him herself.
And special mention has to be made of Edmund White who combines the role of Sebastian with playing the clarinet and leading the band - no small feat.
MADELEINE BURTON
Cast
ORSINO’S ENTOURAGE
Orsino - David Widdowson
Curio - John McNally
OLIVIA'S ENTOURAGE
Olivia - Kathryn Rogers
Maria - Anna MacLeod
Malvolio - Howard Branch
Sir Toby Belch - Dan Warren
Sir Andrew Aguecheek - Will Franklin
Fabia - Tania Rowe
SS ELYSIUM
Viola - Faith Turner
Sebastian - Edmund White
Captain - Stuart Goaman
Antonio - Andy Pinder
SS ILLYRIA
Feste - Howard Salinger
Master of Ceremonies - Paul de Burton
Officer - Stuart Goaman
FOOD OF LOVE
Keyboard - Adrian ‘Fozzie Bear’ Barker
Clarinet - Edmund ‘Chalky’ White
Trombone/Banjo - Felix ‘Hotlips’ McGonigal
Violin - Dave ‘Smudge’ Smith
Tuba/Accordion - Will ‘Buzzbomb’ Franklin
Production Team
Director - Adam Nichols
Assistant Director - Imogen de la Bere
Musical Director - Edmund White
Choreographer - Jill Priest
Assistant Choreographer - Kathryn Rogers
Stage Manager - Judy Curd
Lighting Designer - David Palmer
Lighting Operator - Tiggi Harding
Costume Co-ordinator - Imogen de la Bere
Publicity and Programme Designer - Adam Nichols
Photography and Cinematography - Simon Nicholas
Media and PR Co-ordinator - Lisa White
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