'Five Twelfths' - Producer's Club Theatres, New York
By Luke Tudball‘Twelfth Night’ is, perhaps, one of William Shakespeare’s best-known and best-loved comedies. It is, therefore, done all the time, and not always well. Happily, this production does not fall into that category and I found myself laughing along with the rest of the audience. Premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and now hittingNew York with an all-new cast – Dramatic Stuff brings its memorable cast of characters energetically to life.
The story is, as with most of Shakespeare’s comedies, deceptively simple. Just when you think you have an angle on what is happening, someone throws a curve-ball and more zany antics ensue. Dramatic Stuff have opted to up-the-ante even more with this production casting only five actors to play around twenty roles, but the gamble pays off in Luke Pebody’s madcap adaptation and direction.
We begin fairly sensibly, with a messenger, Cesario, but right away things start going awry when we find out that in reality Cesario is not only not male or a messenger, ‘he’ is really a ‘she’ – Viola, a young lady on the search for employment. She has disguised herself to improve her chances of getting a job, which is fine until she falls for the Duke, who of course, thinks she is a man. Not only this, but Lady Olivia then falls for Cesario, who is really Viola!
Confused yet? Well there’s more to come and more after that. Dramatic Stuff rattle through it and have trimmed the play to fit their diminutive casting and for the most part, it goes very well. At times the plot is confusing, and the larger than life characterisations of Sir Toby Belch (Anastasios Filactou) and Sir Andrew Aguecheek (Chris Braca) at times can be a little too much, but on the whole ‘Five Twelfths’ does not fail to please. Ashley Martinsen is fantastic as Olivia and her own maid Maria, and Kevin Lapin serves up a fine Malvolio.
Pebody has obviously worked with the ‘bigger is better’ philosophy and the almost circus style of this show is tantalizing. I wonder though if there are moments of subtlety to be found in this elaborate plot with it’s many twists and turns. Clever use is made of the stage and the minimal props and set contrast nicely with the cast performances. This may not be full ‘Twelfth’ but they are certainly alright on the night.
‘Five Twelfths’ can be seen at the
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