Review: TWELFTH NIGHT - A CORNISH TALE, Stafford Gatehouse
With the original play set in Illyria, the ancient name of a coastline on the Balkan Peninsula, this production of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night brings this romantic comedy closer to home as Illyria becomes a 1950s Cornish fishing village. This production at the Gatehouse Theatre also marks the 32nd year of the annual summer Stafford Shakespeare production.
The play gets off to a strong start with a prologue that features a mesmerising depiction of the shipwreck that separates twins Viola and Sebastian. Behind a gauze, the cast sing a sea shanty as silhouetted figures battle the stormy seas created through lighting (Barry Smith), sound design (Hattie North) and movement (Amy Lawrence). Viola is seen being rescued and her brother left behind in the sea.
When the main narrative of the play begins, the scenography is revealed to the audience. Set Designer Alfie Heywood has done an incredible job by capturing the detail and charm of a Cornish village on the coast to bring the idyllic setting to life onstage. It almost feels as if the picturesque view of the stage is an image of a village and harbour in Cornwall on a postcard, only it is three dimensional and on a much grander scale. And when it seems Heywood’s set has already done all it possibly can to transport the audience to Cornwall, the exterior of ‘The Elephant’ pub begins to revolve and on the other side, a cosy country pub interior is revealed.
Throughout the play, the essence of the story and the Cornish culture is captured through folk music, which underscores the scenes to enhance a plethora of emotions expressed and suppressed by various characters. The music featured in this production has been originally composed and arranged by Musical Director Stephen Hyde, and the band Evolution of Fishermen – a contemporary folk quintet. Three of the band’s five members appear in the production as local musicians and play a couple of lesser featured characters, each also taking on the additional role of an understudy for the production. Lucinda Freeburn, Sam Lightfoot-Loftus, and Loris Scarpa are all wonderfully talented actor-musicians, whose instrumental and vocal skills elevate the production further, and the sound of their euphonious music extends beyond the play itself too, as the audience is also treated to pre-show and interval entertainment from this terrific trio. Often in the production, the band’s music is accompanied by vocals from various cast members as an ensemble, but most frequently solo singing from Feste, Lady Olivia’s fool, played by Sha Dessi, who has a beautiful singing voice well suited to the folk genre that pleasantly complements the band.
Every actor in this production puts on a phenomenal performance as they each portray great depth and emotional range within their characters, as well of course possess excellent comedic timing, which is a crucial factor to a production of one of Shakespeare’s greatest comedies being a success. Molly Windsor plays the quiet, yet strong willed and quick-witted protagonist Viola and Benedict Landsbert-Noon is Viola’s brother Sebastian. Both characters feel their emotions deeply, especially when they grieve one another, each believing their sibling to be lost at sea, but are portrayed in a more subtle way by the actors creating a contrast with their love interests.
Peter Watts and Natalie Anderson (as Duke Orsino and Olivia respectively) clearly show the melodramatic nature of their characters, and each command the stage in their own way during their scenes. As someone who is more accustomed to the world of stand-up comedy and hasn’t previously been in any productions of Shakespeare’s work, Seann Walsh may seem like a surprising choice of casting, but thankfully a pleasant surprise as he has truly stepped up to this new challenge to play the iconic character of Malvolio and done a tremendous job. Completing the cast line up are Bob Golding as Sir Toby Belch, Liz Jadav as Maria, Callum Sim as Andrew Aguecheek, Andre Bullock as Antonio and of course, the aforementioned Sha Dessi as Feste, and the members of the band. Each performer brings their own spark to this production, and Director Sean Turner has combined their talents with his creative ideas to turn this production into a masterpiece.
A Cornish twist on the classic Shakesperean comedy, Twelfth Night: A Cornish Tale is a well-adapted production of a much-loved play that is bursting with comedic joy, harmonious folk music, and Cornish charm. As a famous quote from Twelfth Night, “Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them”, it is fair to say that Director Sean Turner with the entire cast and creative team have absolutely achieved greatness. The only fault in this exquisite production is that it is only playing for a very limited amount of time, so don’t miss the opportunity to see the show and get your tickets now!
***** Five stars
Reviewed by: Jess Dalloway
Twelfth Night: A Cornish Tale plays at Stafford Gatehouse until 7 July, with further info here.