Twelfth Night – Tricycle Theatre, London

Writer: William Shakespeare

Director: Sean Holmes

Reviewer: Evelyn Downing

The Public Reviews Rating:

I am quite embarrassed to say that I have lived in Kilburn for over 2 years and this was my first visit to the Tricycle. What a mistake! It is a fantastic little theatre and cinema with a smart, modern bar and lovely welcoming feel provided by friendly staff. The theatre itself is a great space with roomy stage and comfortable seats, a perfect environment for this vibrant and dynamic adaptation of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night.

This classic comedy of cross dressing and unrequited love is brilliantly abridged and adapted by Filter. Twelfth Night is a play I have always loved and have seen performed many times in many different ways so it is very exciting to find a theatre company that gives it a new spin. Performed against a backdrop of rock music on a stage littered with instruments and amplifiers, the actors sing, play, dance and drink (anything from tea to tequila!) their way through the play. The combination of modern dress and Shakespearean language here feels very natural and the story remains intelligible throughout, stripping away some of the less important characters and long speeches to leave the core of the piece with all of its humour and energy intact.

I loved the informal approach that Filter took with this piece with the house lights never fully dimmed and the audience encouraged to join in the party atmosphere, even to the point of getting up on stage at times. The cast of actors and musicians and actor-musicians are uniformly excellent throughout. There is clearly a real commitment and investment in the production, with much of what we see on the stage coming out of the workshops to develop the play for the RSCs complete works of 2006-7. I will never forget the sight of a wonderfully portrayed Malvolio (played by Ferdy Roberts) strutting about in yellow socks and shorts, or Andrew Aguecheek (Jonathan Broadbent) catching Velcro balls thrown by the audience on a hat. The brilliant touch of having Poppy Miller play both Viola and Sebastian works perfectly, indeed the doubling of characters is seamlessly done with Gemma Saunders’ Feste/Maria another highlight. For all of it’s bawdy, chaotic feel though there is clearly absolute attention to detail with all of the processing and effects on the audio and music combining seamlessly into the performance.

The result of all of this is a fabulously enjoyable, fast paced and exciting production in the company’s ‘alternative, punk style’. This show is a real treat, drawing humour and life from Shakespeare’s text while allowing the poignant moments to shine through. The irreverent treatment may not be to everybody’s taste but they would have to recognise the skill and care and attention to detail that has been applied here. If you can get a ticket, go see it!