"The play's the thing, " said Hamlet. What does it take to rent a tiny corner of a warehouse bunker, full of the dust of disrepair and a decade of emptiness, cold as Antarctica in winter, hidden amongst the war zone that is Sydney Park and invite patrons to suspend disbelief and be thrilled by a production of Twelfth Night?
Fingerless Theatre - an independent company based in Sydney launched with this debut production - part of the 2018 Sydney Fringe Festival.
And indeed the 'play' was the thing. The ensemble gathered together the most raw items - detritus found onsite - including a life raft displaying the words 'all onboard' to set a stage in this inhospitable, intimidating space and make magic. With limited lighting, beautiful songs, ukuleles and a guitar, harmonious voices and actors Special mention to Zach Selmes set free to extend their skills they presented us with the twists and turns of the play. The pro9gram notes reminded us that the play is remarkably fresh; the pathos -and the gender issues remain contemporary. This production cast a female as Malvolio and that highlighted the play's language and violence directed at this character.
And a final applause to the ten actors. Young and free spirits, each one grasped their roles with creativity and flair. Their raw energy was set right on the dial of daring. Special mention to Zach Selmes as Feste whose music training contributed so much to the overall jollity of the production and Alex Kendall Robson who played Sir Toby Belsh. And the director of the play. Spontaneous applause to producer Jessica Juliano and composer Antonio Fernandez .
