‘Liberate yourself from the gender binary and celebrate queer joy!’ screams the flyer. And a celebration is exactly what Antonio! provides.
This show is such a joy; it’s hilarious, it’s camp, it’s well acted, the script is clever, the music is great, the costumes are stunning, and most of all the cast are having fun, and sharing that fun with us. There’s no preciousness here, the actors and the audience are in it together, and what an exhilarating 45 minutes we all had.
In theSpace’s tiny Stephenson Theatre the cast have only a small stage to work on, but from the moment we enter the room Antonio and his band The Fools are ready for us. Butch Mermaid Productions, a group of actors from Wellington, New Zealand and New York City, are set to give us non-stop entertainment, and boy do they succeed.
William Duignan is Antonio – but which one? Shakespeare had quite a few, in plays as diverse as The Merchant of Venice, Twelfth Night, The Tempest and Much Ado About Nothing. Duignan acts and sings his way through quite a few of them; his singing is excellent; his voice is strong and his diction perfect – and his acting is just as good. Camping it up to the max, he explains that Will Shakespeare was in fact his lover, and that he put versions of Antonio into several of his plays without permission
‘I’m not angry. I’m not bitter. I’m here to set the record straight.’
Our Antonio is a pirate, but this wasn’t always the case. In 1593 he was hanging around Venice, picking up ‘‘slutty sailors with too much money and not enough time.’ This scenario, wildly overacted by Duignan, leads us neatly into one of the show’s best numbers I Wanna Boy
‘I wanna boy, a boy who’s a boy’s boy!’
Joined by the fabulous Evan Michael Smith on tambourine and vocals, Duignan powers his way through these head-banging rock numbers. Smith plays that tambourine like no-one I’ve ever seen before, with so much energy and exuberance that the audience can’t fail to be swept along. They are so exciting that I almost forgot to make notes. If Smith reminds me of anyone it’s Stevie Nicks back in her Fleetwood Mac days, and let me tell you that is high praise indeed.
Duignan and Smith are ably supported by the rest of the band, all of whom join in the acting with enthusiasm, skill and irrepressible sense of humour. This group really works as one, their rapport is instantly obvious and they draw us in to their party.
Antonio first tells us about his time with Bassanio (The Merchant of Venice), with whom he was besotted. Unfortunately Bassanio (well played by Felix Crossley-Prichard) is only prepared to take their friendship so far; it’s funding rather than fondling that’s he’s after. Antonio doesn’t care, he’ll give Bassanio anything he wants – for, as the next number says, F**K MONEY!’ This is another juggernaut of a song: we soar to the heights with Duignan’s powerful vocals, and we soar even higher at the sight of his gyrating hips.
It’s after this romantic disaster that Antonio takes to the seas as a pirate, but like all good pirates he has to come home to see his Mum, and she tells him all about a brand new play. It’s called Romeo and Juliet – and no, there’s no Antonio in that one, but there is an actor who fails to turn up for a performance, and guess who takes his place? None other than Will himself, though as Smith explains, no-one wanted to play him, so they’ve worked out a clever, and of course very funny, way of getting the Bard onto the stage.
Soon Shakespeare is taking his new friend to gay soirees, and are we surprised when that old softie Antonio falls in love? He just can’t help himself.
But Antonio can’t hang about; he’s got a family wedding to attend in Venice. And who should be in town? Don Pedro of course! And what a Don Pedro Andy Manning plays; he’s wicked, he’s entitled, he’s a party boy. Cue next song: I’m a Prince so I Always Get What I Want’ and great dancing from everyone on the stage.
Storm clouds may be looming over Antonio and Shakespeare’s romance, but a real storm (illustrated by much frantic and highly entertaining floundering by Smith and co) is blowing up around Illyria, for yes, Antonio and his pirates (complete with hearty Irish accents) now find themselves in the middle of Twelfth Night. And before long Antonio finds himself in the middle of yet another infatuation. What will he do? What about Will? And what about his own sense of self?
My Life Not Yours provides an empowering and triumphant resolution to Antonio’s story. The audience’s wild enthusiasm provides a glowing affirmation of the skills of these actors, their costume designer, sound technician and producer. I’d never have thought I’d enjoy 45 minutes in a hot and airless room this much. The rock songs definitely work a little better than the ballads in this show, but it’s all good, there’s never a dull moment.
Antonio! describes itself as ‘a queer punk pirate musical starring Shakespeare’s ultimate love interest.’ Butch Mermaid Productions (‘submersive entertainment!) theatre group makes that musical sing. It was sold out when I went, and there are only two shows left in the run, so book early if you can.
Antonio! is at theSpace @ Surgeon’s Hall, Nicolson Street at 5pm on 23rd and 25th August.
Butch Mermaid’s other Fringe show is A Bit Too Much Hair, also in the Stephenson Theatre at 5pm on 22nd and 24th August. I haven’t seen that one but I bet it’s good.
