Little Lark of London

“Better a witty fool than a foolish wit”

Directed by Owen Horsley, Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night has taken up residence at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre. The play, a comedy, is one that plays with the trope of mistaken identity and how it can affect romance and the lives of others. Viola (Evelyn Miller) and Sebastian (Andro Cowperthwaite) are twins who are in a shipwreck and separated. Viola lands in Ilyria, where she decides to dress up as a man, taking the name of Cesario in order to serve in the court of Orsino (Raphael Bushay). She is sent to woo Olivia (Anna Fancolini) on behalf of Orisono, but chaos ensues when Olivia actually falls in love with Cesario, not knowing she is a woman in disguise.

Along with the main romantic plot, there is a great sideplot involving the people of Olivia’s home including her cousin, Toby Belch (Michael Matus), one of her suitors, Andrew (Matthew Spencer), her fool, Feste (Julie Legrand), her gentlewoman, Maria (Anita Reynolds) and her head of household, the stone-faced Malvolio (Richard Cant). Everyone teams up against Malvolio to play some pranks on him, and Cant performs with great seriousness compared to the silliness occurring around him. The main characters are joined by the ensemble of Sally Cheng, Katherine Toy, Jon Trenchard (who is also the Musical Director) and Harry Waller. The ensemble members are dressed as sailors and appear to be like the Greek Chorus, always observing the actions occurring around them. 

Set Designer Basia Binkowska has brought the audience into a jazz club, the word “OLIVIA” facing away from us to the unseen street that characters enter the club from, with noises of the streets playing each time the door is opened (courtesy of Sound Designer Max Pappenheim). Ryan Dawson Laight has designed gorgeous costumes ranging from outrageous drag queen outfits to simple sailor uniforms, each having an otherworldly touch to them like the rest of the play. The music, composed by Sam Kenyon, fits in with the atmosphere, jazzy cabaret music playing throughout the show. Members of the ensemble are typically playing instruments in the backgrounds of scenes, truly making it feel like the characters are inside of Olivia’s club. I also loved the lighting by Aideen Malone, especially as the sun begins to set in the real world, allowing the lights of nightlife to shine on the set, creating a rainbow glow. 

What makes this adaptation unique is that it leans into the queerer themes of the work, particularly between Sebastian and Antonio (Nicholas Karimi), who are openly in a relationship, as compared to the one-sided love of Antonio towards Sebastian that is usually portrayed in productions. Toby Belch is also a drag queen and encourages Andrew to dress in a similar fashion, leading to a delightfully queer interpretation of Andrew’s birthday party with him stumbling around in heels and having a great time. There is no homophobia to be found within the production, only some confusion when it comes to the mistaken identities that is essential to the plot.

Ultimately, Twelfth Night is a fresh and lovely adaptation of Shakespeare’s work that makes for a lovely evening under the stars. Whether you are a lover of Shakespeare or less familiar with his work, it is a fantastic production that allows everyone to understand and explore the iconic comedy. 

Twelfth Night runs from 3 May to 8 June at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre. For more information and to book tickets, click here.

Photo Credit: Richard Lakos