|
Twelfth Night
Presented by:
Starlight Theatre Co-Op
Venue:
Centre Stage Theatre, Spring Hill QLD
Reviewer:
Kellie Scott
Date
Reviewed:
Friday 1st May,
2009
Strobe lighting, short skirts, skinny jeans and singing may not
sound like Shakespeare but Twelfth Night has become a dazzling
production with slapstick, studs, sparkles and seductive sounds
thanks to Starlight Theatre.
The production was original, funny, and highly entertaining. Leah
Pellinkhof has done a tremendous job directing such a large cast of
18 with creativity and flare, setting the show in the 1990s.
The story of Twelfth Night is a confusing muddle of romantic
aspirations, which is one of the reasons it is always so
entertaining. I have seen this production once before, and enjoyed
it thoroughly, but enjoyed this modern version just as much. The
young cast brought with it a youthful theme. The studded belts,
leggings, and rock ‘n' roll vibe were just some of the things that
created the 90s atmosphere.
To put the story simply, Viola and her twin brother Sebastian are
lost at sea. Viola, disguised as a boy called Cesario, falls is love
with Orsino. Orsino longs after Olivia but really loves himself.
Olivia meets Cesario, who’s actually Viola, and its lust at first
sight, but Orsino’s concerned he’s falling for Cesario too. And
Maria is keen on Toby but he’s too drunk to notice, and Andrew’s
drunk with love that’s unrequited from Olivia. She mistakenly
pounces on Sebastian who, smitten at first kiss, will fight for his
new love, but Antonio adores Sebastian who’s crushed from a broken
heart. While they all hate Malvolio who is mad for Olivia’s love. I
must credit the program for this synopsis, sparing me the painful
task of explaining a complicated story such as this!
The opening scene cleverly used video footage of a cruise liner
being taken by a tidal wave. I’m sure the piece is from a well-known
movie, but I’m not a big enough film buff to pick which one. Viola
and her brother Sebastian have been inserted into the footage,
performing on the cruise ship to an audience sitting down to dinner.
Next thing you know, everyone is overboard, and Viola and Sebastian
are searching for one another in the treacherous ocean.
It creates a powerful first scene and is enjoyably different. It set
the mood and let the audience know this was not going to be a
traditional version of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. I was excited!
There were a lot of clever scenes that made good use of the set. My
favourite was when Malvolio read aloud a love letter he thinks is
from Olivia. The comical group made up of Toby, Fabian, Maria, Feste,
and Andrew, peeped out of nooks and crannies making smart comments
and laughing at Mavolio’s expense. This was a really funny scene
that the entire audience enjoyed. There are some serious
up-and-coming young talent in the show, and all cast members
performed well. There was nobody I didn’t enjoy watching, but a few
that were particularly fantastic.
Jesse Mason playing Orsino, was the first character to really catch
my eye, and that’s not just because he wasn’t wearing his shirt! He
was charismatic, hilariously egotistical, and charmingly in love.
His rock-star look and entourage, a.k.a. the Ensemble, fitted the
image of Orsino perfectly. Tim Driver as Feste (and vocal coach) was
the perfect clown, inspiring constant laughter. A great performer
and entertainer, with some good singing, and dancing too!
Two other members of the drunken comical group I thoroughly enjoyed
were Brett Molloy as Andrew, and Sherri Smith as Fabian. These two
didn’t hold back on using acrobatic body language and hilarious
facial expressions to create strong charisma on stage. A
self-proclaimed introvert and nerd, Adam Fawns was certainly
confident in the role of Antonio; Sebastian’s gay admirer. Quite the
hunk, I fell in love with his manly character who heroically defends
Sebastian and Viola on numerous occasions, all the while harbouring
his pink sequined purse. With a tidy acting resume behind him, this
actor is surely set for big things in the future.
I took a while to warm up to Rio Holland who played Viola. Oddly,
her performance didn’t sit well with me in the first scene, but was
fantastic as Viola pretending to be Cesario! She was a pleasure to
watch as she pined for Orsino while trying to remain in disguised as
a man.
The last mention goes to Guy Bussenschutt as Sebastian. He had a
great stage presence and you could tell he was enjoying himself.
The cast list is huge for this show, but the production list is even
larger. A lot of work has gone into this show and it is obvious by
the final result.
Costumes were by far the standout. Every character’s look was
individual and effective. Orsino’s scarf and diamante belt buckle,
Olivia’s tights and boots, Andrews brightly coloured button-up and
jacket, and Toby’s ‘Fed Sex’ shirt and mullet, are just a few of the
pieces that grabbed my attention.
The music arrangement by Daniel Gray was excellent! Hilarious! Songs
such as “I’m Too Sexy” by Right Said Fred and “Man I Feel
like a Woman” by Shania Twain, were just some of the 90s hits
that made this production the fun that it was.
Unfortunately I thought the set let the production down. It looked
cheap, the colours weren’t particularly attractive, and the set was
unstable in some areas.
There is some tidying up to be done after the show’s opening night.
Props were damaged, knocked over, dropped, and some just didn’t
really work – like Olivia’s ‘ring’, which was actually a snap
bracelet. These things do affect the overall performances, and are
distractions that take you out of the story.
Everyone can get a laugh out of this show’s wackiness.
Twelfth Night is showing until the 16th of May.
Bookings on 1300 762 545 or online at
www.oztix.com.au.
Kellie has been reviewing theatre for
www.absolutetheatre.com.au since 2007. Her reviews can also
sometimes be found in APN Newspaper, The Queensland Times.
Previously her critiques for music and film have been published in
The Catholic Leader and The Satellite newspapers. She is currently
studying Journalism at university and hopes to use this to develop
her writing skills, focusing on becoming a professional critic in
the future.
Source:
www.BrisbaneCritiques.com.
If you would like to contact Kellie, please email her at
kellie@brisbanecritiques.com
|