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.
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.
Costumes are outlandish, colourful and borderline tacky – utter perfection for the era. It all comes together really well for a highly clever variation on a classic. More could have been done with the set in terms of showing the difference between Orsino and Olivia’s households, but it doesn’t detract from the story. The programme could also benefit from a bit more time and effort as it doesn’t match the quality of the acting.
Although the acoustics are quite good, several of the cast would have benefited from using microphones or a workshop on projecting, and a few need to remember not to rush their delivery. It is also a shame that some of the minor characters do not have a second costume for when they’re at the other court as part of the ensemble.
Overall, it’s a really fun production, with some fantastic characterisation and physical comedy.
Twelfth Night played at the Network Theatre, Waterloo from 2-7th June.
★★★★
