Review: Filter’s Twelfth Night

‘If music be the food of love, play on!’ declares Jonathan Broadbent, playing Orsino in Filter’s revival production of William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, and the band play on. The group of musicians that join the actors make up the exciting ensemble that is Filter. Combining music and drama was always the intention for the company whose members are mostly made up of an original group who studied together at Guildhall School of Music and Drama. All of its members have equal importance in the devising and rehearsal elements of the production. ‘Shakespeare’s theatre was an actor’s theatre, not a director’s theatre,’ said Oliver Dimsdale, in the post-show talk. He noted the importance in making the production a collaborative effort which does not single out any one component as being the most important. Music, sound, acting and physicality all contribute to Filter’s raucously hilarious Twelfth Night.

Originally commissioned by the Royal Shakespeare Company in 2007, Filter have revived their production of Twelfth Night after it received glowing reviews commending its risk and energy. The rehearsal period spanned only 10 days and the show remains largely the same as the original run. Despite this, it remains full of life as the actors interact with the audience following structured improvisation which led to some hilarious outcomes. ‘Every piece of theatre is a live event and we never pretend that an audience isn’t there. Things do go wrong, and we embrace the idea that things go wrong,’ laughs Furgus O’Donnell, who plays the slimy, laughable Malvolio and struts around in a compromising lack of clothes as insanity takes hold. You can tell that the company is not fed up of performing this show as they use the audience to illicit responses to their calls, invite them to dance and induce us into becoming frivolous revelers rather than polite theatre-goers. It is in the times of comedy, misrule and festival that Filter excel as a company, moments of which lift the production into being an occasion rather than just an event.

One of the most successful moments in the production, and that I’m sure the audience will not forget in a hurry, is when drunk and mischievous Sir Toby and Sir Andrew, played by Gefforey Lumb and Jonathan Broadbent respectively, sing ‘what is love?’ into a microphone. Their solemn song quickly breaks into mad revelry, as pizza is passed around and the audience are encouraged to throw velcro balls at the heads of cast members. I can’t remember the last time I had so much fun at the theatre and the fear of dreaded audience participation was quickly swept away as, in a moment of madness, we all joined a conga line on stage, before being hurried back to our seats laden with a guilt as Fergus O’Donnell’s thunderous Malvolio bellows ‘my master, are you mad?’ – a thought that undoubtedly many people ask themselves after a night out.

It would be easy for a production to be lost in a moment like this, but Sarah Belcher as the instantly likeable Viola carries the play forward with an air of sincerity amongst all the madness. Her character sustains Shakespeare’s plot even through this new and fresh way of experiencing Shakespeare’s words. For in essence, this adaptation is very much Shakespeare’s play and the company is confident that Shakespeare would have loved it. ‘It’s nice to see Shakespeare in a fresh way and not to analyse it. We have to remember that most of Shakespeare’s audience was illiterate. They went to the theatre to be entertained.’ Filter have certainly succeeded in that task. The energy that runs through the company of musicians and actors is outstanding as they bow together to bold applause.

Filter’s production demonstrates a myth that so many people seem to forget: Shakespeare can be fun, hilarious and outrageous; it just requires the right people to make you remember it.

Twelfth Night runs until Saturday 1st March at Warwick Arts Centre, before continuing its tour around the country.