Twelfth Night | Hope Mill Theatre

It feels like there has been no shortage of bold, daring new interpretations of Shakespeare’s work in recent years, but perhaps few have been quite as intrepid or adventurous as those staged by HER Productions, who brought us their all-female and nonbinary interpretation of Taming of the Shrew two years ago, and now are back at Hope Mill Theatre with their unique spin on what is arguably considered the last of the bard’s golden age of romantic comedies. 

Set on the romanticised coastal region of Illyria, the story is a classic case of mistaken identity, as twins Sebastian and Viola are shipwrecked, being separated in the process, with each assuming the other had perished. Viola assumes a male persona after disguising herself as a man named Cesario, and thus begins the makings of an immensely complicated love triangle between “Cesario”, Countess Olivia, and Duke Orsino. Meanwhile, Olivia’s uncle Sir Toby Belch, along with friends Sir Andrew Aguecheek and Maria, come up with a plot to humiliate the arrogant steward Malvolio. It’s a chaotic, borderline farcical, and always keeps you on tenterhooks.

Co-directors Kayleigh Hawkins and Stuart Crowther have set the action in an Ibiza-esque resort, complete with deck chairs, novelty inflatables and late night rave parties. The opening scene, which sets us up for what’s to come, is clear in its intentions, albeit a touch over-egged and laborious. In spite of this, we always have a clear indicator as to where we are and what’s going on. Due to the minimal nature of the actual sets, this production relies heavily on costumes and props in order to ground us and provide markers as to where we are, which is done with terrific clarity and whimsy, .

What also contributes marvellously to this is how much freedom of expression is afforded to the performers, this is a story that really thrives off of that sense of fun and revelry, and the cast have clearly been given that warranty to take their respective roles, and just have a riotous old time with them. Most notably, Beth Vyse as Sir Toby was the comedic highlight of the show, delighting all with her madcap antics, and putting her own hysterical stamp on the character. And equally, Frankie Gold gives us the perfect balance of pomposity and wit as the famously yellow-clad Malvolio, not to mention a wonderful singing voice.

Musical contributions overall really match the vibe of the visual palate, with club and pop classics from the 90s (which hurts this millennial to write) eliciting head nods and foot taps alike, and the various vocal performances from Channique Sterling-Brown truly making music feel like the food of love. More than anything though, this feels like the ideal play to approach using androgyny and gender nonconformity, it may take a hot minute to establish who’s who from the off, but the characterisation across the board was top drawer.

There is often a degree of trepidation when one approaches the work of Shakespeare, how do we find that equilibrium between honouring the original text and making it palatable for a modern audience? HER Productions are quickly establishing themselves as trailblazers in interpreting his work, with their radical, unashamedly feminist takes that just ooze personality, long may they play on!

Twelfth Night plays at the Hope Mill Theatre until 05th July - tickets and more information can be found here.

★★★★☆ (4*)

Gifted tickets in return for an honest review | Photography by Kelsea Knox