“With mischief, music and madness, the Marlowe Arts Twelfth Night has it all“
Cambridge University’s esteemed Marlowe Arts Show has seen the likes of Emma Thompson, Tilda Swinton and Ian McKellen make their debut on a professional stage; as such the company has a reputation for birthing upcoming stars. Having witnessed the incredible talent in this year’s production of Twelfth Night, I am certain this reputation is well earned. The skill within this student cast was evident from the show’s opening moments, where shipwrecked Viola, played absolutely stunningly by H Sneyd, drew us into the upturned world of Illyria. Throughout, it was impossible to take your eyes off of Sneyd; they owned the stage with a natural mastery that is rare to find whilst handling the nuanced layers of Viola’s multilayered identity with impressive subtlety and control.
Lauren Akinluyi was delightful to watch as the hopelessly lovestruck Olivia, ensuring the production had an incredibly strong foundation as the central unrequited love affair between herself and Viola, who she believes to be a young man named Cesario, played out. Buoyant and magnetic, Akinluyi was a wonderful figurehead for the frivolity unfolding in the opulent manor house director Micheal Oakley conjures. With Twelfth Night’s alternative title ‘What You Will’ displayed in a gameshow style lettering across the backdrop, morphing cleverly as the plot’s many mishaps and mismatches unfold, it was clear anything goes, and little will go to plan…
A fantastic casting decision to portray Viola and Sebastian as androgynous identical siblings, retaining their androgyny even after their ‘true’ selves are unveiled, amplified the brilliant exploration of the fluid and expansive nature of identity that grants Twelfth Night its timeless resonance. Enya Crowley as Sebastian crafted a tender relationship with Sneyd, offering moving moments of loss and uncertainty, furthered in the touchingly sincere loyalty of Antonio (Max Parkhouse) to Sebastian. This was a necessary undercurrent to an otherwise uproariously funny performance.
Providing comedy was a real strength of this outstanding cast, with Sir Andrew Agucheek (Toby Trusted), Sir Toby Belch (Theo Francis) and Feste the Fool (Stella Williamson) forming a devious trio who frequently erupted into irresistibly raucous dance, disarray and calamity. Williamson’s Feste ensured that music was not only ‘the food of love’ but offered some of this production’s most exciting moments, delivering the Fool’s pithy speeches through song. Her strong voice alongside the incredible live band provided delightful musical moments, honouring c16th clowning traditions while retaining an engaging contemporary feel through catchy melodies and Williamson’s tastefully modern re-imaging of the Fool as a hilariously unbothered, branflake-munching mischief maker. Likewise, Jacob Mellor as Orsino brought well-pitched melodrama to the stage in his search for a melody to soothe his lovesickness, and his amusing devotion to Feste’s song.
Oakley’s sharp vision, assisted by Sophia Orr, never missed an opportunity for a laugh, punctuating the play’s plentiful moments of crosswired love affairs with the eruption of red love heart balloons, a gag they returned to and elevated effectively throughout to physicalise each character’s unique plight. Yet, nothing quite matched the uncontrollable laughter rippling through the entire auditorium every time Eddie Adams’ Malvolio entered the stage. His brilliant crafting of the ridiculously severe, gullible servant ensured even the tiniest eyebrow raise had the room in stitches. Adams delivered Malvolio’s much anticipated yellow-garter-clad rampage to outstanding success, giving Tamsin Greig’s iconic performance for the National (2017) a run for its money and certainly forming a standout moment of the entire production.
There was never a dull moment in this pacy and unpredictable re-imagining of a well-loved play. It is clear a huge amount of dedication has gone into forming such a slick and inventive show, and this has certainly paid off. With the exception of a few opening night nerves flickering amongst some cast members, adding a slightly restrained quality to a few moments, this student show would not be out of place in the professional theatre industry. I urge anyone looking for an uplifting night of comedy, chaos and eventual happy endings to head to the Cambridge Arts Theatre before the end of this run!
Twelfth Night runs until 24th January. Tickets are available here.