Twelfth Night — Bell Shakespeare

Overview

A tale of love and hidden identities, Twelfth Night has arrived at the Sydney Opera House with beloved theatre group Bell Shakespeare returning to the iconic Sydney venue's Playhouse.

If you're out of the loop, Twelfth Night sees protagonist Viola arrive in a new city following a shipwreck and disguise herself as a man in order to find work. Things get tricky when she falls in love with her boss and her twin brother Sebastian arrives. If this all sounds familiar, it could be because the story is the basis for the 2006 teen classic She's the Man.

Bell Shakespeare's new iteration of the stage show comes from director Heather Fairbairn and places the characters in a more nature-driven outdoor setting. Fairbairn's version pulls on threads of gender and sexuality in the original, diving deeper into these themes through a fresh retelling of the story.

Twelfth Night is also one of Shakespeare's most music-heavy plays, and Bell Shakespeare has gone all out with the soundtrack, enlisting the help of ARIA Award-winning songwriter Sarah Blasko to create original pieces for the show. Blasko has crafted six new songs, all of which are performed by the cast live on stage throughout the two-and-a-half-hour performance.

"My approach to everything, including theatre, is just to go with a vibe! But, my initial inspiration for the music came from conversations with Heather who wanted to convey a sense of melancholy with the music but for it not to be depressing," said Blasko.

"I felt the blues was the obvious place to start as most popular music has its roots there, and the blues has that sadness but is ultimately uplifting."

You can catch the show in Sydney until Sunday, November 19. Head to the Sydney Opera House website to secure your tickets.

Images: Brett Boardman.