As a delightful consequence of being both a Manchester blogger and a theatre lover, I’ve been privy to both a number of productions of the great Bard himself…

Actually let’s stop there a moment. If ever I’ve used this term, it’s very often tongue in cheek as it can often carry with it a sprinkle of pretension (as if Shakespeare requires any grandeur adding by way of monikers – he’s done the heavy lifting himself with the writing and such) by the user themself. Not every user – and definitely not you.

But what does The Bard mean? Well reader (hi mum), it means The Poet. So now you know (you probably already did).

Back to it. I’ve been privy to both a number of Shakespearean productions and, too, annual productions of his work by HER productions – a theatre company that is female led and showcases local female and non-binary talent. So, if you’ll pardon the pun so tenuous there’s barely anything to pardon, I’m well versed in this particular collab.

Shipwrecked and separated from her twin, Viola washes ashore in Illyria. Disguising herself as the suave Cesario, she enters the service of Count Orsino, who pines for the aloof Olivia. But as Viola navigates tangled desires and mistaken identities, love blossoms in unexpected places.

So, we have a farce on our hands and the comedic tone is already set.

But, as with all their productions, HER grabs the text by the throat and gives it a good old shake-up. But this is not a shake-up where the text becomes unrecognisable as to become something else. It’s essentially a shake-up whilst simultaneously adopting safeguarding measures to make sure the text is protected and still knows who it is by the time the players leave the stage.

I guess to use a basic parlance of art theory, HER apply a post modern take. It presents to the audience what has led to the sustained popularity and legacy of the original writing, and adds a little of the here, the now and a dose of innovation to proceedings.

So for example, in this production we’re provided with the narrative and lines as intended. But it comes with a little breaking of the fourth wall, some audience participation and a soundtrack that is more late 20th century, and less ‘lute’.

And I think there is something here for everyone. For every fan of the traditional, untempered Shakespearean production, this may not be for them. For every person who would balk at anything remotely ‘Bard’-coded, this may not be for them. But being the provocative little tyke I am, I would counter that they’d all be wrong. I would always encourage an open mind and wherever, you sit on the scale, it’s important to view every vision, interpretation and ‘take’ , on its own merits. If you want to, of course. My provocation only goes so far.

I’ve enjoyed and appreciated HER’s approach to each classic I’ve seen – including Macbeth . The Taming of the Shrew and Hamlet. The acting and execution is imaginative and accessible.

Once again Twelfth Night, co-directed by Kayleigh Hawkins & Stuart Crowther took an experimental approach which took in a lot of dancing, singing and a touch of the old burning love…(at this point, let me pay tribute to disco personified, Channique Sterling Brown as Feste – strong of voice, shapes and sass).

All of this said, not every musical episode throughout the production had me dancing in my seat and crying out for more- not because I’m a miserable old so-and-so, but because the production and actors, for me, were at their strongest when teasing, playing with, ultimately owning and delivering passages which have stood the test of time, so I was eager to get back to them.

And not because there’s no room for hearing these lines through a modern lens and contemporary context.

Just because the company are so good and my enjoyment for them was at its peak during the less ‘banging’ scenes, shall we say. And given I was born near one seaside resort and grew up by another, my appreciation for the ‘Blackpool Prom of it all’ depiction of Illyria was right up my Golden Mile.

The subtext here is ‘I am fun’.

For a moment, I want to hone in on my favourite actor in the play who had me laughing and full of glee (yes glee). Utter glee. Tickled my funny bone, in a week where temperatures were high, humidity levels were quite frankly unacceptable and trams were a hotbed of desperate souls fanning ourselves with anything we could lay our sweaty hands on, I was ready to smile again.

Thank you Frankie Gold as Malvolio. I was giddy as the proverbial (kipper not goat – although to be honest with you, I’m not really au fait with where each creature sits on the scale of giddiness, and how they compare to each other).

The lines were there for the taking and take them and duly run with them she did. The farce was certainly with her, as she whole-heartedly hammed and camped it up as the duped steward who is lead a merry dance into thinking that Olivia is in love with him. Combining a pitch-perfect, sing-song delivery of spoken lines, with a comic timing you can’t teach, and some iconic throwaway looks that subtly but effectively broke the fourth wall in the way that could show Fleabag a thing or two, I rejoiced in her every return to the stage.

And that yellow get-up will stay with me for some time. Some time.

It would be remiss of me not to pay tribute to Hannah Ellis Ryan just because I have done so before and almost guilty of just thinking ‘well it’s a given’. As Viola in a part written long before that of the highly reminiscent part of ‘Bob’ in Blackadder Goes Forth, but can’t be appreciated without such thoughts of ‘Bob’, Hannah had a strong command of the stage and in her contributions, lent much to the golden thread of comedy and timing which the production was rich in.

And let me thank Hope Mill, glorious Hope Mill, for not only being the brilliant venue you that you are, but for surpassing all expectations with being the coolest, most air-conditioned place I’ve had the pleasure of being in, in Manchester, during the great heatwave of 2026.

Love theatre? Love disco? Love comedy? Love Shakespeare? Hate Shakespeare, hate set dance pieces but open to persuasion?

Twelfth Night is for all of you.

For details and to book tickets, visit Twelfth Night – Hope Mill Theatre. On until Sunday 5 July, the production then moves onto Rochdale Heywood Civic, 9 and 10 July, before ending their run at Lawrence Batley Theatre, 14 and 15 July.

To read more about the rather brilliant HER productions, visit HER PRODUCTIONS – Home

Production images – Kelsea Knox