Writer: William Shakespeare
Director: Kayleigh Hawkins and Stuart Crowther
“What country, friends, is this?” Well, it’s Illyria, but certainly not one you ever encountered in your GCSE textbooks. Twelfth Night marks the ninth outing of HER Productions’ Unseemly Shakespeare, an annual all-female and non-binary Shakespeare production committed to HER’s mission to keep a female voice at the core.
The action is relocated, with delightful nous, to a Blackpool/Skegness-esque coastal town. Festoon lights bedeck the stage, a full-throttle disco threatens to kick off at every turn, and the characters are clothed in an eclectic, eccentric fusion of 90s and 00s fashion. Characters conceal themselves behind inflatable lilos and rubber rings, sticks of rock double as duelling swords, and Malvolio’s “prison” becomes a fairground haunted house. The setting is inspired: the wash of the sea in the background recalls the shipwreck from which the play begins, while the gaudiness of the arcades and the funfair mirrors the trickery, deception, and hijinks at the heart of the play.
A standout performance comes from Frankie Gold, who delivers a tour de force as the haughty, supercilious, and ultimately deceived Malvolio. Gold’s every movement and expression is executed with calculated precision, with her emergence “strange, stout, in yellow stockings, and cross-gartered” sending the audience into uncontrollable hysterics.
As a foil to Malvolio, Beth Vyse is wonderfully brash and crude as Sir Toby, transforming the ageing, fallen nobleman into a loud northern lass in a hot-pink wig and heels. Her impeccable comic timing and physical comedy captivate the audience, drawing out moments in the text that might otherwise be overlooked while inviting audience participation that keeps you alert and on your toes in the best possible way.
The near-constant thrum of background music occasionally intrudes on the dialogue, but it is a minor niggle in a production that is tightly executed while retaining a frenetic, chaotic energy. The cast of eleven give their all, and it shows.
A nice touch, and a testament to HER’s mission, is the decision to close the play by showing that the traditionally “happy couples” are not as unquestioningly joyous as they are often portrayed. Olivia (Jessica Mannion) looks understandably disturbed to discover she has married the brother of the man she believed she loved, and that he has made no effort to rectify her misunderstanding. Meanwhile, Viola (Hannah Ellis-Ryan) appears to reconsider her infatuation with Orsino (Angela Heenan) after he declares her to be “Orsino’s mistress and his fancy’s queen” without seeking her explicit consent. It’s a small moment, but one that reinforces HER’s commitment to the female voice and offers a thoughtful reflection on the historical treatment of female agency.
It’s not often you leave a Shakespeare production describing it as a laugh-out-loud comedy, but HER Productions’ Twelfth Night is exactly that. As the text itself declares, “This is very midsummer madness,” and madness is precisely what this vibrant, inventive production embraces. Bold, imaginative and very funny, it proves that Shakespeare’s comedies can still surprise, delight and have audiences clutching their ribs with laughter.
Runs until 5th July 2026
-
8
