A soulful reimagining of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, unmissable for musical connoisseurs
Almost 30 years after its Broadway run, Sheldon Epps and Cheryl L. West’s Play On! has hit UK theatres for the first time, as a part of the Black, British Talawa Theatre Company’s 2024 Black Joy season. A fusion of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night and the iconic Jazz scene of the 1940’s Cotton Club, the Bard’s work has never been more accessible. With the soulful compositions of jazz legend Duke Ellington providing the musical numbers throughout this soulful romp through Harlem, Play On! is an endearing and light-hearted production that is certainly worth experiencing.
Tsemaye Bob-Egbe is Viola, a young, small-town woman with aspirations to become a songwriter. Tales of her show-stopping uncle Jester (Llewellyn Jamal) inspire her to follow in his footsteps, and she arrives in Harlem in search of her big break. However, she quickly discovers that the 1940’s Cotton Club scene is ‘a man’s world’, and, with the help of Uncle Jester and the Cotton Club dancers, concocts a plan to achieve her goal of a mentorship with the renowned composer, The Duke (Earl Gregory). Donning a suit and tie, Viola is transformed into ‘Vyman’, and, as this male alter-ego, strikes up a deal with the Duke; if Vyman is able to convince singing sensation and bonafide diva, Lady Liv (KoKo Alexandra), to give the Duke a second chance at love, the Duke will take Vyman on as his protege. True to Shakespearean comedic form, shenanigans ensue, but through the veil of slap-stick and silliness the messages of overcoming adversity, being true to oneself, and not taking things for granted shine clearly – enhanced by the accompaniment of a live jazz band on stage throughout.
Jamal’s Jester and Alexandra’s Lady Liv provide stand-out performances. Jamal’s fantastic physicality and natural conviviality on stage provided nothing short of pure enjoyment; his interactions with the other cast and ensemble members did just as good of a job as ULTZ at bringing the Cotton Club alive on stage. KoKo Alexandra’s vocal abilities elicited gasps, exclamations, and applause from the audience on more than one occasion, and perhaps provided the most nuanced performance in the show with her characterisation of Lady Liv. A special mention should go to Lifford Shillingford for the role of Sweets, who wowed with his powerful, expressive singing, and otherwise delivered a performance that, while subtle, was integral to the Cotton Club vibe.
An awareness of Shakespeare isn’t a prerequisite to enjoyment, here; the story is easy to follow, the characters clearly identifiable, and the setting is captured with a stylish flourish. Talawa’s own Michael Buffong directs well enough, though perhaps under-utilises the stage in comparison to choreographer Kenrick ‘H2O’ Sandy, who injects modern street dance with more traditional jazz lilts that are executed by the ensemble flawlessly. ULTZ’s simple yet elegant set design provides uncomplicated and effective expositional delivery, complimented beautifully by Johanna Town’s lighting design.
Despite the class, talent, and undeniable Black joy that permeates throughout the show, there is something slightly unpolished about this iteration of Play On!; on occasion the blocking was clumsy, and there were instances where the performers’ sound levels seemed to be at war with those of the live band. Duke Ellington’s music, while nothing short of sensational, feels slightly out of place in this musical setting; perhaps due to the more prescribed nature of musical theatre as opposed to the freedom woven into the DNA of traditional jazz performances. While this brings the complexity of jazz to a wider audience, and arguably makes it more accessible, something integral is lost in translation. Nevertheless, this is a show that shouldn’t be missed if you can help it – especially for fans of Shakespeare and jazz alike.