Sean Burnett Dugdale-Martin
Antonio! Is a punk-musical-esque voyage about a heart-on-their-sleeve late 1500’s gay pirate who gives out their love too easily to those who refuse to make that love public. It was a dangerous life for Antonio, perhaps that’s why Shakespeare stole so many of his stories. But this story is Antonio's to tell. A romping reflection on the best bard in the biz, Antonio! is a show made of music, comedy, heartache, love and loss. It is also completely queer from top to bottom.
The party seems to have begun before we walk in. The Hannah Playhouse already has jaunty tunes of “Happy Birthday” being sung by the players (Henry Ashby, William Duignan, Emma Katene, Jthan Morgan and Ania Upstill) as we hustle in to take our seats. The Fools for Love, as the band of misfits is called, are jovial with the crowd as we all get settled. The instruments line the stage periphery with the middle being left spare for scenes to take place. Behind all is a huge banner with an insignia of a skull, not quite human, not quite beast, with five large spikes coming out of the top and love hearts for eye sockets.
Some pieces from the soundtrack are reminiscent of All American Rejects, Avril Lavigne or early Twenty One Pilots- all very punky in the nice sense without going too punky and alienating all the nice art-folk of Wellington. One of the shanty songs sounded like a pirate’s Scarborough Fair, which I was a huge fan of, juxtaposed with the Prince’s Song which sounds like a Disney Villains track which I enjoyed a little less than others in the book of Antonio!
I know this show is about Antonio and not Shakespeare, but as the Fools for Love say themselves: to not mention him would be in itself a lie of omission. I appreciate the alternative (which isn’t to say that this isn’t the true) narrative around Shakespeare and his favourite love interest. It’s no secret that in the UK they still love and revere The Bard and so the team of Antonio, by being unhesitatingly themselves, have played to their strengths and found a golden ticket. A fresh take on the old Bard with queer sensibilities that, as the show depicts, would have been difficult to be so honest about in any age before the 21st century.
This show is very much about both the here and now, as well as the back then and there. It also works for more than one crowd. By being about the secret queerness of Shakespeare, this piece of work tickles the fancy of Shakespeare nerds because of the numerous rumours and theories (of various levels of being proven) about the Bard. On another level it is affirming the queerness of the bards fanbase, and is about being ultimately unashamed of who you are.
Antonio! is a great story about a universal figure which most people will get a kick out of and it’s not to be missed. It’s only on until the 16th Feb so catch it if you can! More info here.
Some pieces from the soundtrack are reminiscent of All American Rejects, Avril Lavigne or early Twenty One Pilots- all very punky in the nice sense without going too punky and alienating all the nice art-folk of Wellington. One of the shanty songs sounded like a pirate’s Scarborough Fair, which I was a huge fan of, juxtaposed with the Prince’s Song which sounds like a Disney Villains track which I enjoyed a little less than others in the book of Antonio!
I know this show is about Antonio and not Shakespeare, but as the Fools for Love say themselves: to not mention him would be in itself a lie of omission. I appreciate the alternative (which isn’t to say that this isn’t the true) narrative around Shakespeare and his favourite love interest. It’s no secret that in the UK they still love and revere The Bard and so the team of Antonio, by being unhesitatingly themselves, have played to their strengths and found a golden ticket. A fresh take on the old Bard with queer sensibilities that, as the show depicts, would have been difficult to be so honest about in any age before the 21st century.
This show is very much about both the here and now, as well as the back then and there. It also works for more than one crowd. By being about the secret queerness of Shakespeare, this piece of work tickles the fancy of Shakespeare nerds because of the numerous rumours and theories (of various levels of being proven) about the Bard. On another level it is affirming the queerness of the bards fanbase, and is about being ultimately unashamed of who you are.
Antonio! is a great story about a universal figure which most people will get a kick out of and it’s not to be missed. It’s only on until the 16th Feb so catch it if you can! More info here.