"If music be the food of love..."
The Watermill has become known around the world for its bold, ensemble driven approach to presenting Shakespeare. For our anniversary year we celebrate this rich history by presenting a brand new production of a play that balances comedy, romance and tragedy in equal measure.
Bohemian, outlandish, isolated: Illyria is a land where everyone has lost something and they will use any means to survive. Viola is washed ashore. Compelled to survive in a mysterious ethereal land, she disguises herself as Cesario to serve the solitary Duke Orsino. What follows is a tale of mistaken identities, seduction and transformation, leading to a complex love triangle and the potential destruction of all propriety.
This production is reimagined in the 1920s where prohibition is rife and Europe is still reeling in the wake of war.
Fuelled by a scintillating selection of energetic jazz music, the ensemble who brought last year’s epic Romeo + Juliet to life reunite to create a dizzying and beautiful version of Shakespeare’s perfect play. The radical spirit of Duke Ellington, Django Reinhardt and Ella Fitzgerald is fused with an innovative approach to staging and actor musicianship to tell this timeless story.
Please note when booking your tickets that rows AA and BB will not be our usual theatre seating, they will be cabaret style seating.
Performance Dates
Thursday 6 April to Saturday 6 May
In repertoire with Romeo + Juliet - Tuesday 18 to Saturday 22 July
See the Romeo + Juliet and Twelfth Night tour dates here
Running Times
Act One: 1 hour 20 minutes
Interval: 20 minutes
Act Two: 1 hour 5 minutes
Listen to some of the songs that insprired this production with Paul Hart's Director's playlist.
‘A jazz club seems the perfect setting for Twelfth Night given the play's obsession with music, love and excess. Featuring live music performed by our multi-talented company, the soundtrack will be 1920's influenced with a modern twist.’ Paul Hart, Director
Directed by Paul Hart
Designed by Katie Lias
Lighting designed by Tom White
Sound designed by David Gregory
Movement by Tom Jackson Greaves
Musical direction by Ned Rudkins-Stow
Music Associate Johnny Flynn
Lauryn Redding
Toby Belch
Jamie Satterthwaite
Orsino