Twelfth Night by Acting Gymnasium Review
Written by Mia for Theatre & Tonic
Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review
If music be the food of love, play on… especially when the music is disco! The Acting Gymnasium have set their version of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night in ‘Duke’s Bar’ with plenty of mischief and mayhem, mixed up with some absolute bangers and it works.
We open – of course – with a dance number, and the audience are invested from the first bar, ready to get involved. Orsino (Charles Worthington) is a larger-than-life character, oozing charisma and working the script to ensure peak comedy with his glances, pauses and smiles. Prilly Lee has also grasped Olivia with both hands, bringing a new take on her character that is excellent: a little bit spoiled brat, a little bit diva and a lot of comedy. The modern setting helps with this, but both actors embrace it and adjust their performances accordingly; there’s a lot to note for anyone planning to perform this show in a more contemporary setting. Molly Coates (Viola) also brings new life into what can be a static character and there are some lovely scenes between her and Prilly. However, her starting costume (especially the shoe choice) feels a bit bland and out of place compared to the shipwrecked barefoot Captain (Irving Jones) who ensures both of his minor characters are memorable.
The other two stand-out performers are Lina Bekkouche (Feste) and Helen Probert (Malvolio). Both actors steal the show, with unique interpretations of both characters. Director Gavin McAlinden has chosen to replace Feste’s songs with disco classics and this works really well; we even had a bottle mishap, but when Lina came on to clean the stage, she sang the opening lines of Money, Money, Money which was excellent spontaneity. The scenes with Sir Toby (Aryan Chavda), Sir Andrew (Karl Stefan Thomas), Fabian (Sabrina Santamaria) and Maria (Nieve Hearity) are also a lot of fun!
Costumes are outlandish, colourful, and somewhat tacky – utter perfection for the era. It all comes together brilliantly for an extremely clever variation on a classic. More could have been done with the set to highlight the differences between Orsino and Olivia’s households, but this does not detract from the story. The programme could also benefit from additional time and effort, as it does not match the quality of the acting.
Although the acoustics are pretty good, several of the cast would have benefited from microphones or a workshop on projecting, and a few do need to remember not to rush delivery, as most of their lines are lost. It is also a shame that some of the minor characters do not have a second costume for when they’re part of the ensemble at the other court.
Overall, it’s an entertaining production, with some fantastic characterisation and physical comedy.
Twelfth Night played at the Network Theatre, Waterloo from 2-7th June.
★★★★
