Marking the 30th anniversary of the discovery of The Rose Playhouse, St Albans-based company OVO now journeys to London presenting their modern take on Twelfth Night. In this new and exciting musical version, Shakespeare meets Postmodern Jukebox in a remix of one of his best loved comedies, set on a cruise liner at the height of the roaring twenties.

On the SS Illyria, a live jazz band performs music from Rihanna, Britney Spears, Radiohead, Michael Jackson and many more. But, two campaigns are being quietly waged – one by the lovesick Duke Orsino against the heart of the indifferent Olivia; the other by an alliance of servants and hangers-on against the highhandedness of her steward, the pompous Malvolio. When Orsino engages the cross-dressed Viola to plead with Olivia on his behalf, a hilarious and bittersweet chain of events follows.

This upbeat melodious production is brought to life by Lucy Crick, Joshua Newman, Will Forester, Emma Watson, Anna Franklin, James Douglas, Jane Withers, Faith Turner, Andrew Margerison, David Widdowson, Alex White and Hannah Francis.

Director Adam Nichols comments, Our starting point for every Shakespeare production has been to ask ourselves how would Shakespeare present this play if he were writing for a contemporary audience. People often refer to ‘modern dress’ productions of Shakespeare, as if sticking the actors in flapper dresses or flares, or superficially transporting the action to Nazi Germany or Edwardian London, will, in itself, make a play more relevant to a contemporary audience. You can’t impose a theme on any Shakespeare play just because you have taken a fancy to art deco interiors, or eighties new wave music. Theme and setting have to emerge from the characters, their situations and the words they speak. OVO aim to provide universally accessible and enjoyment entertainment for more casual theatregoers, whilst satisfying Shakespeare aficionados and honouring the great man’s legacy.

OVO is an award-winning theatre company, based at the Maltings Arts Theatre, in St Albans where they produce a year-round repertory programme. They believe in creating exciting and artistically innovative theatre without financial support, which they feel can often be the motherhood of invention. OVO aims to present a new twist on the old classics – Shakespeare and other famous texts made accessible, usually through the use of music and a strong concept or setting. Twelfth Night is OVO’s 19th Shakespeare production – their reworkings have been seen by more than 15,000 people in three years alone.


Performance Dates Tuesday 23rd April – Sunday 5th May 2019
Tuesday – Friday – 7.30pm
Saturday, 5.30pm and 8pm
Sunday, 2.30pm
Saturday 9th March, 3:30pm

The show will previously be performed at Maltings Arts Theatre, St Albans from 4th – 13th April.

Location The Rose Playhouse, 56 Park Street, London SE1 9AR

Box Office Tickets are available from The Rose Box Office on 020 7261 9565 or online at www.roseplayhouse.org.uk. Tickets are priced £17.50 (concessions £15).

How to get there The nearest underground stations are London Bridge (on the Northern and Jubilee lines), Cannon Street (on the Circle and District lines) and Southwark (on the Jubilee line). The nearest train station is London Bridge.

Running time 90 minutes

Website www.ovotheatre.org.uk

Viola Lucy Crick
Sebastian Joshua Newman
Orsino Will Forester
Olivia Emma Watson
Lady Toby Belch Anna Franklin
Sir Andrew Aguecheek James Douglas
Maria Jane Withers
Malvolia Faith Turner
Fabian Andrew Margerison
Antonio David Widdowson
Captain/Officer/Priest Alex White
Feste Hannah Francis

Director Adam Nichols
Musical Director Tom Cagnoni
Assistant Directors Alex Bell, Janet Podd
Set Designer Simon Nicholas
Lighting Designer James Wakerell
Lighting and Sound Operator Michael Bird
Stage Management Lizzie Thomson, Kiera Smith
Costume Designer Kate Unwin
Choreographer Jill Priest
Production Manager Beth Miller

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