Twelfth Night
All photos: Bill Jackson
Review by Catherine Larner.
Singing along to ‘Mellow Yellow’ and ‘Sweet Caroline’ isn’t typical for a performance of Shakespeare, but this is Theatre in the Forest and Red Rose Chain is doing what it does best - subverting our expectations and instilling a renewed delight and excitement in live theatre.
Slapstick and songs, puppetry and poetry are all used to maximum effect, this time in a production of ‘Twelfth Night’ which celebrates the much-loved, visionary founder of the theatre company, Jo Carrick, who sadly died earlier this year.
Revisiting Jo’s interpretation of the play from 2011, the cast has worked with producers David Newborn and Katy Latham to create a truly collaborative production; one where the audience members were in no doubt that they were being warmly welcomed in to the party.
From the moment you step into the auditorium, installed in the grounds of the National Trust’s Sutton Hoo, near Woodbridge, you feel part of the family. The actors mingle as the audience members find their seats with an exchange of banter, jokes and music, all of which makes the experience warm, inviting and inclusive.
Majestic trees provide a magical, mystical backdrop, heightened with fairy lights strewn from the branches as the night sky draws in.
When we’re ready to begin, the rough-hewn decking and upturned boat hulls of the stage is transformed into a ship on a violent sea, the passengers and crew cast asunder and our story set in motion. All this conveyed through the choreography of the actors with a length of rope.
The story is one of mistaken identity, love and loss. Largely fast-paced and farcical, our belief in the characters and their plight is such that we feel just as powerfully a sense of pity and sorrow for their lot, too.
Cast members double up in roles with simple costume changes, inhabiting every part with commitment and enthusiasm.
Darren Latham is hilarious as the exuberant and chaotic Sir Andrew Aguecheek, Emily Jane Kerr is compelling every time she steps on stage as Sir Toby Belch, and Alec Murray was mesmerising as Feste. For Malvolio, there is an almost sinister turn from last year’s ‘Hamlet’, Vincent Moisy. Every member of the cast is hugely talented in music and song, physical comedy and fight scenes, while also speaking Shakespeare’s lines clearly and insightfully.
The addition of a puppet - a vast, shaggy, grey hound designed by Maia Kirkman-Richards and manipulated in turn by different members of the cast - was inspired. It represented Sebastian’s friend Antonio and brought gasps of wonder and affection every time he appeared.
The warmth and sense of community that Red Rose Chain brings to every performance is a joy. Whether they are keeping true to the original text or adding their own individual, modern spin, they bring Shakespeare to life with energy, enthusiasm and creativity.
Don’t ever question whether you want to see Theatre in the Forest – it’s the perfect tonic!
Twelfth Night is at Sutton Hoo until 22 August 2026.
FOR SHOW DETAILS AND BOOKING LINK, CLICK HERE