By Dave
Link: https://foodoflove.ticketspice.com/twelfth-night-welcome-to-our-table
$25
Available until: Monday 16th November at 6pm EST
(or 10pm UK time). The live shows are in the past but it looks like you can
still watch it.
It took a while to work out how to watch this but if you’re
having problems, stick with it. It’s worth the time and effort. There have been
a lot of great productions of Twelfth Night on offer during lockdown
(this is at least my sixth) and this is right up there with the best. It also
has a real individuality to its production and it didn’t feel like it was the
sixth time I’d seen it in eight months. It felt fresh and new and I really
enjoyed it.
This is also the first Shakespeare production I’ve ever seen where you can bake while you watch. If you’re lucky enough to live in the USA, you could have ordered the ingredients along with your ticket. If you’re stuck in the UK, you have to buy your own. But it’s such a great idea, especially as baking and watching online theatre have become so much a part of life for people in 2020. You get to see Maria in her kitchen and cook right alongside her and the instructions will pop up on the screen at the right time. It’s inspired – and inspirational.
This Twelfth Night is slightly artier than most Zoom
productions, with a purple background (my daughter approves of purple:
apparently, it’s a ‘strong colour’ and ‘not too girly’), with act and scene numbers
and locations attractively displayed. There is also some really impressive
artwork shown between scenes, as well as music. All Zoom productions require a
LOT of work, much of which we can’t see, but you can see some of the hard work
that’s gone into Twelfth Night and it looks great.
Although Twelfth Night is seen as one of the comedies
and it’s certainly not lacking in humour, I have seen a lot of productions
recently which have made me aware of the dark side of the play, especially in
the way in which Malvolio is treated. Food of Love’s production has a much
lighter touch and the result is that I felt much more aware of the humour in
the play and was able to enjoy it without reservations. The fact you can tell
this story in so many different ways is one of the great strengths of the play
and I’m really glad I’ve had the opportunity to see so many different Twelfth
Nights. This production has a genuine warmth to it and it’s a lot of fun.
Viola is played by Victoria Rae Sook, a name I know very
well from online Shakespeare productions but this is the first time I’ve seen
her in a leading role and it was completely worth the wait. She shows so much
of Viola’s emotional journey, from being shocked and grief-stricken at the
start to gradually gathering her strength and taking on the world. I really
liked the personality she adopts as Cesario and the way Viola’s own personality
sometimes shines through.
Perry Sook plays Viola’s twin Sebastian and the fact they
have the same surname in real life seems to explain the strong resemblance
between the twins. He makes Sebastian into a very lively and fun character and
it’s very easy to see why Heath Sanders’ very sweet Antonio likes him so much. (They
would have made such a great couple.)
Shaun J. Brown is a passionate Orsino with more
vulnerability than usual but it more than works. Nanya-Akuki Goodrich brings a
lot of humour to the role of Olivia and gives her attention-seeking ways a lot
of charm. Emily Carding seems to be one of those performers who can do anything
and their Feste is just as good as their Claudius in Hamlet. They have a
wonderfully dry way of delivering Feste’s lines and they really bring him to
life as a character in a way I haven’t seen before.
We all love a good over-the-top Malvolio (and I’ve seen some
very good ones) but Michael Padgett’s more understated performance works
brilliantly too. He’s still very funny and it actually makes the shock moment
even more of a shock as it’s even more out of character.
But maybe the biggest surprise came from Sir Andrew, Sir
Toby and Maria because I liked them all so much. Brendan Sokler and Miguel
Perez make a wonderful double act as Sir Andrew and Sir Toby, while Natasha
Magigi is a hilarious Maria who is much nicer than the character usually is. It
really does seem more like mischief than cruelty with these three in charge and
for once I actually cared about the relationship between Maria and Sir Toby.
A really enjoyable production. (As for my baking… we won’t
go there.)
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