9 August – 13 September
What better way could there be to spend an evening? The beautiful landscaped gardens of Stratford Park in Stroud, the sun setting in a clear blue summer sky, the sound of corks popping while birds sing in the nearby trees, and the prospect of Shakespeare’s timeless comedy of manners and mistaken identity.
Jenny Wren Productions have been delivering evenings just like this around the region for twenty years. This latest production reunites the cast from last year’s The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, and the familiarity, chemistry and warmth between this talented group of players is evident from the start.
Director Jenny Wicks has gone back to the very origins of Twelfth Night and its cultural traditions. A cake is shared between the actors as the play opens, with one member discovering a hidden bean in their slice. This entitles them to assume the mantle of the Lord of Misrule, traditionally a peasant who would be given responsibility for organising Christmas revelries and entertainments. Once roles have been assigned and the show is underway, the cast break character at several points during the performance to appraise their progress and discuss forthcoming scenes, at times consulting the Lord of Misrule for guidance, thereby adding an informal but endearing quality to a style which is perfect for a more relaxed, outdoor theatre performance.
Of course being a Shakespeare play, there is plenty of multi-roling for a cast of six, allowing all of the group to showcase their variety and versatility, as well as generating some humour too. In a tale which centres on, and celebrates, the confusions and comedy generated by separated twins Viola and Sebastian, it seems only natural that the Shakespearean fool Feste be played by four different members of the cast. Stephanie Louise and Matthew Bassington provide a believable confusion as Viola/Cesario and Sebastian, Marshall Lockwood adds a certain gravitas and some rumbustious tomfoolery as Sir Toby Belch and a more measured Orsino, Aidan Moody provides his usual livewire energy as Sir Andrew Aguecheek, and Harriet Stevens entertains as a suitably aloof, then lovestruck Olivia. Lastly, Callum Scurfield hams it up deliciously as a pompous Malvolio too, as all of the players bring life and enthusiasm to Shakespeare’s original text.
This has all the elements which you would expect from an outdoor theatre performance. A simple stage with relatively few props lends the show an enjoyable honesty and simplicity. Kieran Capaldi’s songwriting provides some traditional, simple but very catchy musical interludes and the show is beautifully lit, in the first half by the setting sun, and in the second by simple floodlights. Forsooth, I would have liked to have seen perhaps a little more audience engagement during the lighter moments – audiences for shows like this expect to have to donate some of their sausage rolls or Prosecco to the cast, or perhaps some ad-libbed improvisation thrown in for good measure – but a warm round of applause at the end of the evening reflected exactly what this is: an engaging and enjoyable show which will delight audiences of all ages as it tours other equally picturesque locations in the region.
★★★★☆ Tony Clarke, 10th August 2024
DATES:
Sun Aug 11th – Cotswold Sculpture Park, The Paddock, Somerford Keynes, Cirencester, GL7 6FE
Performance 6.30pm – grounds open 5.30pm for picnics and Café open
Box Office: Everyman Theatre 01242 572573
www.everymantheatre.org.uk Tickets £16 (£12 under 16s)
Sun Aug 18th Snowshill Manor, Broadway, WR12 7JU
Performance 6.30pm – grounds open 5.30pm for picnics and refreshments on sale
Box Office: Everyman Theatre 01242 572573
www.everymantheatre.org.uk Tickets £17 (£10 under 18s)
Sat Aug 24th – Priory Park, Malvern, WR14 3HA
Performances 3pm and 7pm – grounds open 2pm and 6pm for picnics
Box Office: Malvern Theatres 01684 892277
www.malvern-theatres.co.uk Tickets £16 (£12 under 16s) including booking fee
Performance in the Coach House Theatre if wet
Sun Aug 25th – The Tuckwell Amphitheatre, Dean Close School, Cheltenham, GL51 6HE
Performance 7.30pm – grounds open 6.30pm for picnics and refreshments on sale
Box Office: Bacon Theatre 01242 258002
www.bacontheatre.co.uk Tickets £17 (£15 concs.)
Thurs Aug 29th – Grittleton House, Chippenham. SN14 6AP
Performance 7pm – grounds open 6pm for picnics
Box Office: Everyman Theatre 01242 572573
www.everymantheatre.org.uk Tickets £15
Fri Aug 30th – Ashley Manor Prep School, 252 London Road, Cheltenham, GL52 6NR
Performance 6.30pm – grounds open 6pm for picnics
Box Office: Everyman Theatre 01242 572573
www.everymantheatre.org.uk Tickets £15 (£10 under 16s)
Sat Aug 31st – Tewkesbury Abbey, Church Street, Tewkesbury, GL20 5RZ
Performance 6pm – grounds open 5pm for picnics
Box Office: Everyman Theatre 01242 572573
www.everymantheatre.org.uk Tickets £15 (£10 students/under 16s)
Sun Sept 1st – Berkeley Castle, GL13 9PJ
Performance 6pm – grounds open 5pm for picnics
Box Office: Everyman Theatre 01242 572573
www.everymantheatre.org.uk Tickets £16 (£13 concs.)
Fri Sept 13th – The Elms School, Colwall, nr. Malvern, WR13 6EF
Performance 6.30pm – grounds open 5.45pm for picnics
Box Office: Everyman Theatre 01242 572573
www.everymantheatre.org.uk Tickets £16 (£10 under 16s)
Parking – follow signs on arrival. If wet, performance in the Ashby Theatre
