Once again, the Riley Smith Theatre opened its doors to another performance by LUUâs Stage Musical Society with a three-night showing of Twelfth Night The Musical, taking Shakespeareâs comedy and adapting it to the world of song and dance. Upon entering the theatre, I had no preconception of what was awaiting me, having only seen this play acted out in its usual interpretation. However, I can confidently pronounce this reinterpretation (an Original Public Works production first performed in 2016) as one Shakespeare himself would be proud of.
Set in the exotic land of Illyria, this romantic comedy follows the timid and unsure Viola (played by Rosy Constanti). She makes a life for herself in this unfamiliar town after believing she had lost her twin brother Sebastian (played by Joshua Affleck) in a shipwreck, taking on his identity in the disguise of Cesario so that she can find work in the court of âBachelor No.1â Duke Orsino (played by Ben Pike).Â
The plot explores themes of familial, romantic, platonic, and unrequited love – all of which manifest themselves into a fair few messy intersections of relationships! Shakespeareâs original work also plays around with themes of gender ambiguity and sexual fluidity, of which I am pleased to say that LUUSMS portrayed perfectly. This was done through numbers such as âTell Herâ, âViolaâs Soliloquyâ and âWhat Kind of Man R U Gonna Be?â (first composed by Shaina Taub). It was also portrayed with the queer relationship that was established between Sebastian and Antonio (played by Kiaro King).Â
I was apprehensive that the typical upbeat, buoyant tone of rom-com musicals would obstruct these more nuanced themes of the play. However I was gladly proven wrong and think they were done a remarkable justice by the cast and crew; my personal favourite being the R&B track âIf You Were My Belovedâ, which blends the vocal harmonies of the three characters in the plotâs main love triangle excellently (featuring Lady Olivia, played by Izzy Peter). I also admire the decision to have the instrumental group, which was led by Haaris Brook and Matteo Bellini, on stage throughout the entirety of Acts One and Two. This genuinely gave the appearance of a real jazz band being present in Illyria – playing alongside the characters and their storylines.Â
The dance numbers were also incredibly fitting to the themes of Shakespeareâs work: the tap dance during âCount Malvolioâ really added to the pompous persona of Oliviaâs steward (played by Jess Bilsby); the blue wristbands worn by the dancers in âWhat Kind of Man R U Gonna be?â cleverly reflects Violaâs struggle with masculinity and gender dysphoria; the delicate, soft movements of the dancers in the ballad âTell Herâ highlight the purity of Orsino and Violaâs love – which transcends heteronormative relationship stereotypes.Â
In a conversation with co-choreographer Rhys Rogers, he commented on why the LUUSMS committee decided on Twelfth Night The Musical for their winter performance: âas a society we tend to do a lot more big, high energy, high-level dance content for our shows […] the play has got that festival atmosphere and celebration of gender and so many other amazing things, which made it fun for me and Sasha (also co-choreographer) to incorporate into the routinesâ. The high skill level can evidently be seen in the advanced choreography on display during full dance-ensemble numbers, such as âWord on the Streetâ and âCount Malvolioâ.Â
This would not be a true review without me highlighting what (in my opinion) were the shining performances of this musical. Constanti (Viola/Cesario) displayed some of the best vocals I have ever been blessed to hear with my own two ears. Bilsby (Malvolio) did an outstanding job of portraying her characterâs vanity through body language and facial expressions, giving almost a boyish charm to the Puritan character, which you couldnât help but love. Furthermore, I cannot go without giving special mention to the hilarious performances of the dynamic duo Sir Toby (played by Harry Lawrence) and Sir Andrew (played by Erin Brady), who did not once fail to make the audience laugh with their playground antics; they truly carried the storyâs subplot.Â
It is safe to say that the managerial decisions made with Twelfth Night The Musical absolutely paid off; the performance was a hit with myself and audience members alike. Therefore, I give my praise to co-directors Esther Davis and Rosie Wright, as well as the rest of the production crew, and the off-stage team at LUUâs Backstage Society for making opening night a roaring success.Â
As for the cast, it was clear as day that every single person involved put their all into this performance! The palpable strong bond between this group of people who share a passion for musical theatre could be felt to observers, like myself, during the closing ensemble number âEyes of Anotherâ; where the optimistic plot conclusion familiar to rom-com musicals is championed through Orsino and Antonio shaking hands to end their feud, and Malvolio rejoining the others on stage (which made my heart happy for him to finally feel included). I shall definitely be returning in the Spring Semester to see which musical LUUSMS delve into next.
On a brief closing note, I really believe that Brady who plays Sir Andrew has a promising future as a wedding singer!
Editor: Tamima Islam