A hilarious show full of miscommunication, meddling, and mischief, set in a stunning venue at Regent Park’s Open Air Theatre.
Very few theatre shows are born great, however some do achieve greatness, and I’m sure some do probably have greatness thrust upon them; Twelfth Night at Regent Park’s Open Air Theatre is a great show, set in a stunning venue. As the sun sets over this gorgeous outdoor theatre the audience enjoys a classic Shakespeare comedy.
With excellent dinner options, ice cream for before the show whilst it is warm followed by hot chocolate and tea at the interval as it begins to get chilly, it is a fantastic setting, although cold once the sun has set. I’d recommend bringing a blanket. The lighting design creates an atmospheric scene throughout, particularly in the second act as it grows dark. The set is simple yet effective, with lots of varying entrances and exits providing interesting perspectives from different characters and subsequently adding to the confusion within this play.
Twelfth Night is an amusing production with the director implementing a great use of physical comedy to bring the text to life, particularly from Anita Reynolds as Maria, Michael Matus as Toby Belch, and Matthew Spencer as Andrew Aquecheek. Spencer is especially funny as the besotted, somewhat bumbling, Sir Andrew who remains out of the loop and unaware of the various subplots surrounding him, and Maria, alongside Toby, create an amusing duo causing chaos. Reynolds’ comedy was excellently supported by the actor-muso chorus quartet of Sally Cheng, Katherine Toy, Jon Trenchard, and Harry Waller. They brilliantly play the score, with Trenchard acting as Musical Director, and bring humour to scenes.
Evelyn Miller playing Viola is particularly engaging, portraying the emotion, comedy, and conflict of the character brilliantly, whilst Anna Francolini as Olivia is also very amusing and uses silence and facial expressions brilliantly to create humour. Orsino, portrayed by Raphael Bushay, opens the show immediately drawing the audience in, and interacts brilliantly with Miller. Malvolio played by Richard Cant is superbly comedic and Michael Matus performing Toby as a drag queen is an exciting portrayal that brings lots of energy to the production. Antonio and Sebastian’s relationship, displayed by Nicholas Karimi and Andro Cowperthwaite, is openly portrayed as full of love and passion, as well as conflict and misunderstanding, which creates another perspective to the show and contributes to the confusion.
Regent Park’s Open Air Theatre’s production of Twelfth Night is not a musical but has an interesting use of song throughout, with Francolini as Olivia and Julie Legrand as Feste singing solos and some use of the actor-muso quartet, although I would enjoy further ensemble numbers. The end chorus when all characters come together and sing is quite beautiful.
The costume design by Ryan Dawson Laight is excellent, particularly Feste’s gorgeous blue suit and corset, Viola’s understated but beautiful outfit, and Maria’s patterned, colourful ensemble.
This story is full of miscommunication, meddling, and mischief. Although the first act has moments of confusion as lots of scene setting and character introductions take place, it is hilariously brought together, or rather unraveled, in the second act as everyone reconvenes with mistaken identities, marriages, and reunions.
This is an exciting contemporary interpretation of a classic show that uses inspiration from queer culture and 80s fashion to bring Shakespeare’s themes of gender, identity, sexuality, love, and comedy to a modern audience. This is a great evening at an amazing venue, in the heart of Regent’s Park.
Creative Team:
Set Design: BASIA BIŃKOWSKA
Fight & Intimacy Direction: RACHEL BOWN-WILLIAMS & RUTH COOPER-BROWN FOR RC-ANNIE
Costume Design: RYAN DAWSON LAIGHT
Wigs, Hair & Makeup Design: CAROLE HANCOCK
Season Associate Sound Design: JAMES HASSETT
Movement Director: DANIEL HAY-GORDON
Casting Director: LOTTE HINES
Associate Director: CORY HIPPOLYTE
Director: OWEN HORSLEY
Composer and Musical Supervisor: SAM KENYON
Lighting Design: AIDEEN MALONE
Sound Designer: MAX PAPPENHEIM