As I desperately wait for winter to actually withdraw, I escaped into an evening of jovial warmth when I went to watch Twelfth Night: The Remix presented by Witwerks Theatre at The Actors, Kemptown. As a fan of Shakespeare’s comedies, I was expecting a remix no less than what was delivered. In fact, it exceeded my expectations.
Twelfth Night is one of many of Shakespeare’s plays where he plays with cross-dressing, disguises, and insinuating queer romantic connections between the characters. Emphasising this trope and elevating it to a camp aesthetic seemed to be the aim, and Chance Dean, the playwright, director, and adapter, successfully achieved this by setting the play against the backdrop of a festival.
Ilyria was turned into littered grounds where tents are set up and streamers hung across the top by the talented prop director, who tactfully used recycled materials and clever set design to deliver a colourful environment, perfectly inviting for chaos to resume, and so it did.
The characters made their entry through the space between the audience, and the Actors’ theatre’s intimate setting allowed for the performance to emerge in close proximity to the audience.
One of the show’s highlights was Malvolio, aka Roland Hamilton, rocking his yellow stockings to impress his beloved lady, and I felt the comedic climax more intimately as he strived desperately to woo Olivia, aka Alix Addinall, with his moves, which began off-stage. Even though Yellow Stockings is difficult to beat, every one delivered Shakespearean dialogue with effortless flow and encapsulated the characters’ essence quite fully.
However, the actors’ personal insights confirmed my opinion that the characters were also adapted to represent contemporary, humane, strong yet vulnerable characters. Maria, aka Sascha Cooper, was especially pleased that her character was shown to be more scheming and devious than how it has been usually interpreted as a passive support role in the play.
More importantly, the synergy of the cast was felt both on and off-stage as they reiterated the bond they grew amongst each other while rehearsing. Whether it be hiding in the tent and giggling at the mischief they devised or taking peace-sign selfies amongst themselves, the energy between the actors and characters was infectious for the audience, who laughed along with them and “aww”-ed at the adorable moments.
As pointed out by the cast and director, inclusivity and belonging were key themes for the camaraderie of all beings in this fun-filled space, and I definitely felt like I was a part of this queer Shakespeare universe.
The Actors Pub deserves a shout for being one of the best queer safe spaces I frequent and would recommend to anyone in Brighton looking for a chill pint and, more often than not, can be accompanied by amazing art such as this play which took place upstairs in their theatre.
As for Witwerks Theatre and their productions, they aim to put on many more amazing plays and perhaps even take Twelfth Night to wider audiences. Hence, it would be a great idea to stay on the lookout for their upcoming performances on their socials and indulge yourself in some queer creativity of the finest kind for an evening or more.
Witwerks Theatre: https://www.instagram.com/witwerkstheatre/
The Actors: https://www.actors.pub/
