Set in Victorian music hall, The Space, and staged with a dark edge and an ‘under the big top’ look and feel, the Pell Mell Theatre Company’s production of Shakespeare’s tale of love, subterfuge and mistaken identity is mesmerizing to watch and cast with a strong ensemble of actors.
I had an enjoyable time attending a performance of Pell Mell’s Twelfth Night last night at The Space. Ella Garland’s portrayal of a sympathetic Viola/Cesario was a highlight of the show as was Andrew Seddon’s job playing the humiliated Malvolio. Makeup, music (much of it performed live by an agile and multitalented Lawrence Boothman in his role as Feste), and direction were all commendably executed and led to a compelling staging. I didn’t quite get the eerie ever-writhing movements of the characters Valentine, Balthazar, Lorenzo, and Stephano though. Their constant and off-kilter gyrations seemed at times to get in the way of the main action and were even a little exhausting to witness (I can’t imagine what it was like for the performers involved – and I hope they have a better idea than me why they had been assigned such a jerky task).
The Pell Mell Theatre Company’s production of Twelfth Night is on now and runs until 8 August (excluding Mondays, 31 July and 1 August). The Space Theatre is located at 269 Westferry Road, E14 3RS. Find out more at space.org.uk and theatrepellmell.wix.com/pellmelltheatre.
