Rock the night away (right): The Unicorn’s Twelfth Night is much more than a rock’n‘roll show, writes Reva Klein - it’s a comic, stylish delight that compresses the original, artfully retaining language and tone within a modern setting.
Kieron Smith’s production of this adaptation by Andy Rashleigh pares the play down with wit and whackiness. Complications of plot are explained by DJ Feste on Radio Illyria, which broadcasts via a two-tone ghetto blaster in between rock numbers the likes of “If music be the food of love, play onI I need to feel you next to me.”
Orsino (David Roecliffe) is a bit of a rock star himself, whose stock in trade are mobile phones, videos and a winning narcissism. But the real star of the show is Tina Landini as a wholly convincing, spirited but vulnerable Viola. As an introduction to Shakespeare for children aged eight and over, the show is a real winner.
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