An energetic, committed and tuneful cast acted, danced and sang their way through a unique and wonderfully entertaining version of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night at the Globe Theatre.
Director Brent Caldwell’s bold vision to set the comedy of hidden identities in 1980s Dunedin, complete with live performances of Dunedin Sound tunes, was a triumph — thanks to the talent and dedication of his production team, cast and musicians.
The acting was confident and strong, with clearly audible words, lots of comic action and a well told story.
Sacha McConnon (Viola/Cesario) and Samuel Kelly (Sebastian) were in top form as the twins, while Maegan Stedman-Ashford and Thomas Makinson were both excellent as Lady Olivia and her scorned suitor Duke Orsino.
Don Townsend was strong as the stern Malvolio, as was Sofie Welvaert as the mischievous Maria, while Aimee Freeman tackled the bonkers role of the fool Feste with aplomb.
Josh Black and Daniel Cromar were delightful as the drunken pairing of Sir Toby Belch and Sir Andrew, and Tomuri Spicer made the most of comic opportunities as Antonio.
Adding to the fun were Nic Turner (Captain and Priest), Caleb Collier (Curio) and Declan Viljoen (Valentine).
The music was performed by a superb live band comprising music director Sam Meikle (guitar), Evelyn Virens (bass), Shannon Burnett (drums/vocals), Alex Gourdie (keyboard/vocals), vocalists April McMillan Perkins and Millabeen Turnbull, and with cast members singing as well.
The songs by legendary Flying Nun band The Clean, The Verlaines, The Chills, Look Blue Go Purple, Straitjacket Fits and The Bats were well played and sung, and cleverly interspersed with the action.
A favourite moment for this reviewer was when Stedman-Ashford as Lady Olivia and the band rejected the Duke as a suitor with a fantastic rendition of LBGP’s I Don’t Want You Anyway.
As both an imaginative Shakespeare production and a trip down musical memory lane, Twelfth Night was a fantastic achievement. Bravo!
