Arts:Blog

Theatre Review: The Venetian Twins ****

Michael Cox reviews 'a great night out that sparkles with constant laughter'.

To be frank, the Lyceum have had a pretty impressive run in their 2014/15 season. It is therefore rather nice to report that their final piece, The Venetian Twins, continues the winning streak.

Associate Artist Tony Cownie has adapted Carlo Goldoni’s play, not quite giving it a modern spin (it appears to be set in late Victorian Italy) but certainly giving the characters a fresh Scots vernacular. Posh women swear, innuendo is rife and the production is only too happy to stoop to the basest level for a cheap laugh.

And it works, rather beautifully. The plot, as is the case with most of these types of comedy, is more of an excuse for farcical shenanigans: two privileged twin brothers separated in youth happen to show up in the same city in order to marry, and they are consistently mistaken for the other. It's a premise that can become trying even in the best of productions, so it is to Cownie’s credit that the pace never lets up.

Cownie also has a brilliant weapon in his artistic arsenal—Grant O’Rourke, who plays the brothers with absolute aplomb. Productions usually rely on costume changes to hint at the identity of each twin. Here, both brothers are similarity dressed—it is all down to O’Rourke’s utter commitment to characterisation that the twins are created: a pompous blowhard and a country bumpkin.

O’Rourke is nothing short of a revelation and is a constant pleasure to watch. The same goes for the entire cast, all of whom have fun fleshing out characters, most of whom are presented more as shells of personality before blossoming out. Cownie has not only encouraged his cast to create a collection of fun characters but manages to create a wonderful sense of ensemble, especially in the larger second-act scenes.

The Venetian Twins might not be ground-breaking or revolutionary, but it is a frantic comedy that's wonderfully performed and directed, well designed and sharply written. It makes for a great night out that sparkles with constant laughter, sometimes despite yourself.

The Venetian Twins performs at the Royal Lyceum until May 16, 2015.