‘the resounding send-off at the end was a perfect nod to Elizabethan theatre and ensured we ended with a bang’
One of Shakespeare’s more famous comedies is centred on mistaken identities and the fact that love can make you do the funniest of things, to which co-directors Kathryn McGurk and Ben Newman have added a further surreal slant and plenty of contemporary music, which by and large works in a production from Dan Meigh and Connor Wray.
Viola (Ariana Parr) is stranded on an island following a shipwreck, having lost contact with her twin brother Sebastian (Harry Clark) whom she believes drowned. To survive she disguises herself as a young man called Cesario and enters the service of the lovestruck Duke Orsino (Morgan Lewis) who is pursuing Olivia (Charlotte Cumming), a countess who is in mourning following the recent loss of her brother and is refusing to see any suitors. Dismissing his aides Valentine (Ugla Helgadottir) and Curio (Amy Hope-Thompson), Orsino enlists the help of Cesario to act as an intermediary to try and move things along: what could possibly go wrong?
Meanwhile, in a comic subplot, several characters conspire to make Olivia’s pompous steward, Malvolio (Adam Martyn), believe that Olivia has fallen for him, including her uncle, Toby Belch (Phil Rayner), another suitor, Sir Andrew Aguecheek (Joe Stott), her household servant, Fabian (Hope-Thompson), and her maidservant, Maria (Eve Griffiths).
With repeated appearances from Feste the Fool (Rebecca Phythian) offering the only voice of reason, it all comes to a head when Sebastian pitches up with sidekick Antonia (Helgadottir) in tow, with first a Policeman (McGurk), then a Priest (McGurk) becoming involved…
St Luke’s Bombed Out Church offers deceptively good acoustics despite the lack of a roof and the production took full advantage of its layout with a simple stage set up and carefully considered set design by Carter Cordwell and Cumming that was able to support each scene and its unfolding action, with an impressive array of costumes, designed and made by Cumming. The cast made great use of the space, including entrances through the audience – much to their delight – with strong movement direction from Grace Goulding and fight choreography from Meigh.
The co-directors programme notes hint at the use of recent recognisable musical interludes to reflect nostalgia and the surreal parallel to Alice in Wonderland. Whilst musical numbers were well selected – and performed – it felt perhaps that it went one or two tunes too far, although the resounding send-off at the end was a perfect nod to Elizabethan theatre and ensured we ended with a bang.
I was quite taken with the idea of Viola’s plight being at the end of a rabbit hole, but it got somewhat sidetracked from the off with the ‘summer of love’ musical theme and despite a couple of nods, the opportunity to fully explore the Queen of Hearts, Mad Hatter, and Chesire Cat was somewhat lost, which was a shame because I think McGurk and Newman are really onto something there.
There are dual identities at the heart of this story and some gender-swapping in this production which serves to highlight that whilst gender is often seen as the issue of our day, few realise that twenty percent of Shakespeare’s work involves cross-dressing characters, often designed to afford female characters more freedom in what was then a restrictive society, using their often-belied wit and intelligence to win the day; in Twelfth Night cross-dressing is central to the complication and the resolution of the plot, and it is all the funnier for it.
The cast perform strongly with bright performances from Helgadottir, Hope-Thompson, and McGurk in their dual roles, whilst Rayner and Stott combined humorously throughout. Lewis and Clark were assured and competent in their respective roles, whilst Griffiths served up a full-on Scouse Maria.
Phythian was more than the voice of reason with her fine poetic vocal just one of many parts in an all-round strong performance, whilst Martyn embraced the sensibilities of Malvolio before expertly capturing the madness of his obsession.
Alongside her obvious design skills, Cumming excelled as the grieving Olivia before well and truly letting her hair down, whilst Parr expertly unravelled the emotional complexity of Viola with an impressive performance.
Off The Ground Theatre have spent over thirty years creating bold, imaginative theatre across the UK and Europe. For further information https://www.offtheground.co.uk/
Twelfth Night’s next stop on its UK and Ireland tour is at The Hope Street Theatre in Liverpool on Tuesday 4th and Wednesday 5th August at 7.30pm. Further details and booking at OTGT Twelfth Night – Hope Street Theatre Tickets
More information on the tour, upcoming venues, and booking can be found at https://www.offtheground.co.uk/whats-on-theatre-wirral
Review Date: 2nd August 2026
Star Rating: FOUR