"Twelfth Night" by William Shakespeare

Wellington Circus, Nottingham Playhouse.

He is a one that Bill Shakespeare! He loves to mix things up a bit and cause a rumpus does he not? Well, here's another one of his plays that includes tempests, a shipwreck and mistaken identity. Just when you think you can't love the Bard's work any more, comes along this all female version that takes Shakespeare's comedy and ramps it up to the max. So, if music be the food of love, here is a feast, and I am a great eater of beef and it's done nothing to harm me, or my appreciation of this fine production.

Viola thinks her brother is dead after a shipwreck lands them in a strange land. He thinks that she is dead. The first twin, Viola, falls in love with Orsino, who dotes on OIivia, who falls for Viola but is idolised by Malvolio. Enter Sebastian, who is the spitting image of his twin sister... Everyone thinks that she is her brother. Everyone thinks that her brother is her.

Set in the open area of Wellington Circus, and open to the elements, exactly the way that Shakespeare penned his plays to be performed.

Lisa Ambalavanar plays Olivia, Maria and Valentine. Zoe May Dales plays Sebastian, Malvolio, Captain and the Priest. Charlotte East plays Viola, Ceasario and Toby Belch and A K Golding plays Orsino, Andrew, Aguecheek and the Servant. There is no way that I could rate these four as anything more than equals in every area of this production. They all are as adept with accents as they are with performance, understanding, comedy and improvisation, especially when car alarms go off unexpectantly!

Anyone who knows me, know that I love a good (or really bad) accent and these four create an absolute accent-fest, which I loved. There's even a call for the audience to provide which accent for Lisa to do as a bearded Priest. This probably changes with every performance so that the audience get to see a slightly different version at every performance. Voice Coach, Marianne Samuels has done a great job in this area.

A K Golding brings a crazy "mad for it" Manchester vibe accent, and even adds a Manchester swagger to the character; and let's face it the Manchester accent is enough to put a smile on anyone's face!

Add to the mix coconuts, that brought images of a Morecambe and Wise sketch to mind, crossed with certain Spamalot sections.

There are sparkles of panto with asking the audience to chant and cheer for the duelling pair, as well as getting the audience involved in other ways, which I won't spoil by telling you in this review; but it's marvellous fun. And who'd have thought that Lennon and McCartney's words would sound at home alongside Shakespeare?

Performing outside also brought the comedy of the line, "If this were played upon a stage now, I could condemn it as an improbable fiction" to life, and appreciated by the knowledgeable audience.

Directed by Martin Berry, assisted by Liv Watson, they have packed this production with so much fun. They have created a show that is so different while encapsulating the comedy that Shakespeare has put in place. See how many "borrows" from other areas you can spot! A wonderful vehicle for any newcomer to the world of Shakespeare.

The visual comedy is truly excellent, and it takes a confident cast who are comfortable with this style of comedy performance, and have the understanding of the works of William Shakespeare to deliver a masterpiece such as this.

Joshua Goodman provides the sound design and composes the music. The timing of both are spot on with crystal clarity, to say that this is an outdoor performance. And I can't get "Olivia" and "The Lady Song" out of my head.

Ella Barraclough is the Designer for this external piece of theatre, and there's plenty to see, set design wise, along with some props, by Alex Hatton, you wouldn't probably expect for a Shakespeare play, i.e. plastic spades from the seaside.

The costumes are by Alexander Maharry, and I absolutely loved these costumes. They were bright and colourful and I'd not seen these designs before, they really made an impact on the play, as well as the audience. Just take a look at the pictures. True imagination is proven in this area.

I've spouted in previous Shakespeare plays just how much I enjoy his works; I'm no expert by a long shot, but productions like this one just helps to break down the idea that Shakespeare is not for everyone, because it really is. You don't have to be able to understand the way that Shakespeare writes, the beauty of his Iambic pentameter will get easier the more Shakespeare you witness. In the meantime, just go along and enjoy the comedy from this excellent group of actors and crew. Oh, and don't worry about seating, the chairs are provided and you can sit wherever you wish.

Some are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon 'em. I'll leave it with you to decide which of these options match this cast and crew. Whichever you may think, this production is packed with greatness to the rim.

"Twelfth Night" is on until Saturday 29 July. Go on, have a feast!