Past Event
Jan 20—30, 2016
Twelfth Night
Filter / USA
In Filter Theatre’s Twelfth Night, created in association with the Royal Shakespeare Company, the timeless star-crossed, cross-gartered, cross-dressed love story gets a fresh, funny, free-wheeling update worthy of its alternate title: What You Will. All bets are off and all rules upended when Shakespeare’s beloved, besotted, gender-bending love triangle meets the antic spirit of Filter Theatre. The result is an evening of merry mayhem that will tickle funny bones and melt hearts. A warm, ribald, riotous antidote to the post-holiday blues. You may know the story, but you don’t know this show!
Info
Venue
Emerson Paramount Center
Mainstage
559 Washington Street, Boston, MA 02111
“When the Sal’s delivery guy walked on stage with five large pizzas, I understood why Filter Theatre artistic director Ferdy Roberts described “Twelfth Night” as ‘anarchic.’’
“From the onset, the company made it clear this wasn’t your high school English teacher’s Shakespeare (unless you had a wicked cool teacher).”
— The Boston Herald
“My highest recommendation: SEE THIS SHOW.”
“Filter Modernizes Classic With Spectacular Results”
“Will leave you enthralled not only with the cast and the play, but with the primacy of live performance to engage and delight.”
— Examiner.com
“Theatergoers familiar with the original will find much that delights”
“It makes perfect sense to have an onstage band, which in this case includes drummer Alan Pagan, electric bassist Fred Thomas and other performers creating sundry electronic effects.”
“Amy Marchant is eminently winning as Viola”
“Paced by very charismatic performers and spiked with frequently weird music that happened to be to my taste.”
“A ‘Twelfth Night’ To Rock With.”
— WBUR
“Updated and invigorated with blithe touches of a modern beat, this is Twelfth Night remixed.”
“Enjoyable and delightful”
“The boldness of this production is truly something to be admired”
“It takes a great deal of courage to create this kind of art; dispensing with tropes of Shakespeare past while embracing a fresh vivacity of Shakespeare future. These performers shake it off with a ferocity that Taylor Swift would envy;”
“Sitting in the audience, you can’t help but be part of this celebration (actually literally; be ready for anything including a mid-show pizza party with real pizza).”
“Go catch Twelfth Night before it’s gone.”
“Fun, flirty, and frivolous”
— The New England Theater Geek
“Even though this ArtsEmerson production has the Royal Shakespeare Company’s official stamp of approval, it’s certainly not Queen Elizabeth’s Bard. This madcap, radically remixed version of Shakespeare’s comic cross-dressing love triangle is 90 minutes of stripped-down, live-music-infused participatory theater.”
— Best of Boston
“Filter’s approach meshes well with “Twelfth Night,” says Roberts, who describes the play as “manic, full of anarchy, heartbreaking, silly, and full of music.””
— The Boston Globe Preview
“One of Shakespeare’s most iconic lines — “If music be the food of love play on” — comes from “Twelfth Night.” The Filter Theatre made sure that sentiment dominated their mounting with a live band adding folk, heavy metal and wild jazz to the proceedings.”
— The Boston Herald Preview
“Twelfth Night: Rock and roll Shakespeare’s a blast”
“Filter is a company blessed with wit, style and a touch of magic, and despite the huge liberties and bizarre leaps of imagination that the production takes, a great deal of the spirit of the original remains.”
“Better yet, the jokes are genuinely funny, the music, ranging from folk and free jazz to heavy rock, is both spontaneous and exciting, and Shakespeare’s original lyrics are wisely retained. At 80 minutes, this irreverent and inventive Twelfth Night never outstays its welcome.”
“One certainly wouldn’t want this show to be the last word on Twelfth Night, but for those who believe that Shakespeare is big enough to survive and indeed profit from the occasional modern twist, it’s just the ticket.”
“…when you enter the theatre, the stage seems to be set for a rock concert rather than a play.”
“Filter is a company blessed with wit, style and a touch of magic.”
“The music…spontaneous and exciting.”
— The Telegraph
“…an anarchic, spontaneous and sexy impression of the original, played on an empty stage, stripped to the fly ropes.”
“The mayhem they create in the auditorium is extraordinary.”
“…you are left with a sense that you have encountered this 400-year-old play for the very first time.”
“…one hell of a way to encounter Shakespeare.”
— British Theater Guide
“…sonic virtuosity and physical exuberance…”
“…meticulously plotted sound-design…cunningly mixed with an audience-engaging spontaneity.”
“…Puts the fun back into Twelfth Night and allows us to become participants in a feast of misrule.”
“this company’s blend of sonic virtuosity and physical exuberance perfectly fits a music-filled comedy that deals with the rapture of young love.”
“The real virtue of this production, however, is that it puts the fun back into Twelfth Night and allows us to become participants in a feast of misrule.”
— The Guardian
“Filter’s lo-fi, 90min remix of Shakespeare’s comedy infects the audience with the play’s celebratory spirit of madness from the start…You leave feeling slightly changed yourself.”
— Metro
“…Explosive, funny and fast-paced.”
“…one of the most exciting and accessible productions of Shakespeare’s much-loved comedy.”
— Citizens Theater
“The most hardhearted purists would melt at Filter’s 90-minute reworking of this play, directed with passion, panache and precision by Sean Holmes. For newcomers to Shakespeare I can’t think of a better introduction. The music is ferocious, fiery and funny: at times, it makes the Stones look like a group of genteel clergymen. This is not a send-up: it’s a celebration – mad, wild, loving and hilarious.”
— The Sunday Times
“This modern staging makes the Bard’s timeless comedy of mis-matched romantic desires burst with fresh irreverence.”
— The London Paper
“Fresh, fast and very funny… Chaotic, creative and zinging with vibrant irreverence.”
— The Times
“Go. Go see it. That’s all I can say.”
— @Igofboston
“Holy S*** it was great.”
— @corinnemmason
“Go see Twelfth Night right now at! You are missing out big time otherwise!!!”
— @khemingway
“Very raw very powerful performance with a Comedic twist. Go.”
— @KennyCooks
“Charming, witty and engaging. Loved watching Twelfth Night”
— @JGuneratne