EVENING HERALD - PLYMOUTH
 
Plymouth Pavilions - Friday 8th February 2002
 
It's never too early to introduce children to Shakespeare, not when it's done through productions like this one. Much of what makes him the pre-eminent writer he remains is filtered out, but this company takes the power and drama, humour and romance, at the heart of his works, blend his language with that of today, add songs, and come up with entertainment that hopefully will pave the way to an exploration of the full text later.

Toured Shakespeare often means small casts, minimal staging and one or two night stands. Because this company plays to audiences in large spaces they can field a multi-talented cast of 13, instrumentalists, and effective, speedily-changed scenery to whisk the action from one noble residence to another, or a street to a garden.

Twelfth Night benefits from this approach, encompassing a gripping narrative, clearly told, a variety of moods, and a heady mix of characters. Here, with nuance thrown to the winds, we get a swiftly moving tale that at times may be unsubtle, and strays from the original in its introduction of the Keystone Kops and Feste's Three Fabulous Funsters, but is never less than captivating. The audience was given every opportunity to respond to what was happening on stage.

They seized their chance whenever a character burst into song, but their rhythmic clapping and stamping masked the lyrics which, from what I heard, were often witty. The "sloppy" bits, as one nearby youngster dismissed the romantic sections, were accompanied by cat calls and whistles. despite this, the packed audience clearly appreciated what they saw. Shakespeare won new converts.
 
 
 

BILL STONE
(c) Evening Herald, 2002