BACK in 1996, theatre director and writer Sheldon Epps first had the idea of setting Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night in the Swing-era Harlem of the 1940s – and a brilliant idea it was. With a book by Cheryl L West, and entirely using the music of Duke Ellington, the show cleverly tells the original story at the same time as looking at sexual inequality and racism against a high-energy score full of familiar classics and lesser-known jazz.
It’s surprising that this highly-praised and multi-award-nominated show, which opened on Broadway in 1997, hasn’t been seen in the UK. It is the perfect choice for Talawa Theatre, whose six-venue tour runs from September 2024 to February next year, and forms an important part of the company’s Black Joy season.
In this Cotton Club version, the preciously white-mannered Rev has to be persuaded to act as the Negro he is and the “cross-gartered yellow stockings” are transposed to a zoot suit in the vibrant gold so hated by Lady Liv, the bad-tempered nightclub singer beloved of songwriter The Duke (Orsino? Ellington? take your pick). The Shakespearean mirrors are pushed just enough, allowing the story of the female songwriter battling through the steel doors of the man’s world by cross-dressing and turning into VyMan, at the same time as turning the head of the Lady, to emerge naturally.
The Ellington classics are, of course, familiar, but some of the extensive back catalogue of less successful numbers can get a bit challenging, however brilliantly played by the five-piece on-stage band. As Duke and VyMan, Lady Liv and Rev, the feisty Mary and her longtime loverman Sweets, and the exuberant Jester and his hat-check girl work out their romantic entanglements, the rest of the cast dances the night away in this joyful production by Michael Buffong and his team.
It is huge fun, clever, colourful, often touching (specially the brilliantly arranged My Solitude for four voices) and full of insights. Essentially an ensemble piece, and with a huge creative team listed (before the actors) in the programme, there are stand-out performances by Cameron Bernard Jones as Rev, Lifford Shillingford as Sweets, Tanya Edwards as Mary and Tsemaye Bob-Egbe as Viola/VyMan. Earl Gregory’s beautiful voice carries the songs of the Duke, and Koko Alexandra captures the selfish misery of Olivia/Lady Liv. We saw Andre Coulson covering as Jester, and a great job he did.
Many of the cast have been seen in various touring musicals in recent years, honing their singing and dancing skills. See them in Play On if you can. It’s on at Salisbury until 2nd November, and returns south to Bristol Old Vic from 16th to 25th January.
Photographs by Ellie Kurtz