Presented by the Melbourne Shakespeare Company. Directed by Jennifer Sarah Dean
A contemporary joy for novices and experienced Shakespeareans alike. Twelfth Night is a joyous and suitable outdoor experience this season.
Reviewed by Rachael Vassallo
St Kilda Botanical Gardens
Until 22nd December, 2024
Tickets: https://www.melbourneshakespeare.com/twelfthnight
A yuletide holiday little-known to a contemporary audience, Twelfth Night, traditionally marks the end of the Christmas season, when decorations are considered bad luck to keep displayed. Another tradition surrounding this holiday is to stage performances of William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night or What you Will – Shakespeare’s absurdist rom-com.
It is a classic Christmas choice, named after the holiday, seldom celebrated today. It begins with a shipwreck, which slowly descends into a bizarre tale of disguise, mistaken identity and love. Back in Shakespeare’s era we had male actors pretending to be women and then… pretending to be men again! Many armchair scholars treat Twelfth Night as a farce poking fun at this insane stage qualm.
Watching Shakespeare in an outdoor setting provides many challenges that directors, actors and designers must face. The Melbourne Shakespeare Company chose to stage their quaint performance in a beautiful rose garden nestled in the St Kilda Botanical Gardens and it was utterly gorgeous. We were seated in front of a raised pergola draped with a floral motif. The stage appropriated existing structures of the garden and was set with two benches. The space was filled with fun as it prepared us for the jovial performance that followed.
A convention of Elizabethan performance was audience participation, and many contemporary directors of Shakespeare have successfully revived it. We were introduced to the actors before the performance commenced, as they walked into the audience and talked to us about finding their way home after being shipwrecked and, at one point, stole an audience member’s food. Shakespeare can be daunting, we felt happy and energetic from getting to know the cast and were prepared with what to expect from the show. Through audience participation, the ensemble prepared us for the mood of the show, despite some members being less than impressed with the actors’ antics.
Twelfth Night is a rarity in it exists only in the First Folio giving us a standard, complete edition. Directors therefore don’t have to go through the trouble of dossing over quartos and folios to create a complete text. Nevertheless, directors of Shakespeare still grapple with how they should keep Shakespeare’s script intact, with some purists striving to keep as much as they can, and other contemporaries keeping barely anything. Director Jennifer Sarah Dean is the epitome of balance, keeping a solid amount of Shakespeare’s dialogue whilst including enough contemporary dialogue that unfamiliar audiences can follow along. The energetic cast catapult themselves into the main performance through a contemporary song filled with silly shenanigans. Then, we instantly hear the recognisable dialogue of Shakespeare mixed in with the inclusion of contemporary dialogue and music.
Dean has directed a performance that will draw new audiences towards Shakespeare
The music in Dean’s production relied on acapella with the introduction of a guitar and handheld percussion. The entire cast were triple threats, whose strong vocals were a strength of the performance. Dean chose mostly contemporary music for this performance, omitting much of the original musical interludes. I did enjoy these renditions deeply, a sentiment shared by the audience who sang along with the performance. I particularly enjoyed how they were arranged, they fit the era and setting of Twelfth Night beautifully. It didn’t, however, conclude with Feste’s song, despite the rainy night.
The lighting design is controlled by the weather, sun and stars. This time I was rained on, but some nights you can see the empty expanse of sky. Cortnee Jarvis and Ishan Vivekanantham’s design made for a very quaint evening, with the beautiful St Kilda Rose Garden’s wooden rotunda making for a romantic Twelfth Night. Costumes were typical of what one would expect for Twelfth Night, though. With all the mistaken identity, I loved the idea of including name labels to ease audience confusion.
It is important to remind people that Shakespeare is not daunting, but fun. Many have had poor experiences with Shakespeare behind a desk, and thus may be put off from experiencing his work staged. Seeing Shakespeare performed outdoors is an experience one must try at least once, and this performance is a recommended introduction. As an experienced Shakespearian, I felt that Dean has directed a performance that will draw new audiences towards Shakespeare, particularly those who might be hesitant to see a live show. Rain or shine, Twelfth Night is a charming evening for Shakespeare fans and novices.
Produced by Michael Mack
Starring Billy Thomas, Claire Warrillow, Emma Austin, Jacqueline Whiting, Joshua Gordon, Karlis Zaid, Laura Iris Hill, Lucy May Knight, Maxwell Simon, Sebastian Li, Sonya Suares, Stephanie Astrid John, Teresa Giansiracusa
