After a couple of years touring on the high seas, Antonio! The Musical comes to Te Whanganui-a-Tara for three evening shows and one ‘relaxed performance’ – a welcoming experience supported by Arts Access Aotearoa, one that fits nicely with the show’s friendly kaupapa. The show’s atmosphere on opening night feels vibrant. The audience wear fun colours, the performers warm up their instruments onstage and the pre-show has the feel of a lively house party. Hannah Playhouse’s long trailing staircase creates a gradual transition from Wellington’s jostling Friday night traffic into a little world of cosy revelry.

Antonio! –book by Ania Upstill, music and lyrics by William Duignan and Andy Manning, directed by Andrew Patterson – bills itself as a punk musical, though ‘rock opera’ might be an alternative way to acknowledge the skill that’s gone into arranging the songs. The show’s format sits somewhere between a campy pantomime and a jukebox musical format. The songs burst with poppy catchiness. Will Duignan and Andy Manning have an interesting challenge arranging this show. They appeal to modern sensibilities while throwing in little nods to the story’s setting – whether these are musical or lyrical. The wit is camp, clever and above all it fits with the concept. Above all, there is a sincerity to the delivery that gives it power.

Our Antonio, played with puppy-like energy and sincerity by William Duignan, is an amalgam of Shakespearian supporting characters cribbed from a few of his better-known plays. At a glance the characters seem only to have a name in common but in this retelling, not only are all the Antonios melded into one colourful voyager; his chaotic queer love stories take centre stage.

The supporting performers – Emma Katene, Henry Ashby, Jthan Morgan – are all musical and acting polymaths who aren’t afraid to swap instruments as different players take their turns being Antonio’s foil. They all have strong delivery, both on and off the mic. It takes a deft hand to make sure that backing percussion and guitars do not overwhelm vocal lines, and that amplified voices do not obliterate unamplified ones. The tech crew, the arrangers and the performers all contribute to a very slick and crisp auditory experience which is a testament to their hard work touring this show in Edinburgh.

We glimpse a Tempest without a Prospero, in which a pair cast as villains by a rather vindictive Bard instead sing Miranda’s lines and make love as castaways. This Merchant of Venice features no Shylock or Portia, but tells a tale that – while still all about money and betrayal – is also about gay attraction in a repressive city-state.

Antonio himself delays mentioning Shakespeare’s name for as long as possible, and we eventually see why. Ania Upstill’s cameo as Will portrays him as a closeted, cynical tale-stealer who exudes sly egotism.

Some in-jokes resonate more strongly with Shakespeare nerds, but people who are not Jacobean theatre fans will still get plenty of laughs. Emma Katene has the time of their life as a sultry Don Pedro from Much Ado About Nothing, and they are just as delightful whether or not we remember who Don Pedro is in the original play. The whole intent of the plot is not to gatekeep, but to stick to universal themes about love and loss and identity – the same trick that has allowed Shakespeare’s canon to endure.

Without spoiling the adventure, Antonio! goes through dramatic highs and lows worthy of any protagonist. His naïve sincerity and desire to be true to himself at any cost leads him into tragic situations – but is it a tragic flaw? This retelling proposes that it doesn’t have to be.

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Antonio, Antonio, who, what, why and where art thou, Antonio?

This feisty pirate-filled theat-Rrrrrrr creation compiles the Antonio characters from Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, Much Ado About Nothing and The Merchant of Venice into a love-filled story about Antonio’s quest for love – with Shakespeare himself and the most ineligible bachelors that feature in his works. It contains multiple art forms, song styles, fashion eras and Shakespearean references, all within 45 minutes.

Presented in New York City’s The Tank, which “champions emerging artists engaged in the pursuit of new ideas and forms of expression working across all disciplines”, Antonio! is live-streamed from Manhattan straight to a screen at Wellington’s Te Auaha Cinema on a crisp Saturday afternoon, where an enthusiastic crowd of supporters cheer, clap and sing along to crowd favourites ‘I’m a Prince (So I Always Get What I want)’ and of course the essential ‘A Pirate’s Life’.

The writing is so clever, by creative team Ania Upstill (also the director) and William Duignan. The multi-talented cast of five each has our attention hooked on them throughout: Andy Manning, Ania Upstill, Evan Michael Smith, Felix Crossley-Pritchard and energetic William Duignan as our heart-stricken loverboy.

Shakespeare is renowned for his romances and the audience can feel the love throughout the show. We are not only a witness to this magical chaos of a production, but also acknowledged, addressed and included by the performers while the actors simultaneously perform to another audience live in New York. 

Although not a Globe Theatre production, I can see it easily wowing audiences in Shakespeare’s original stomping ground, and I hope they make it there following their upcoming tour to this year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

I have been lucky enough to see some of the cast’s works previously and love their continued championing of beautiful queer stories that are relatable and loveable by every audience member, whether you’re a pantaloon (as in puffy pants) fan or not.

I have to give credit to the whole creative team for putting this together in what must be a world first. The crossover of storylines, rock songs, ballads and sea shanties melt beautifully together – even bringing countries together in the process.

How such a show can be condensed to 45 minutes, let alone an original Shakesqueer creation combining so many beautiful rock’n’roll stories, I will never know.

What I do know is this is a piece I have been missing in my life and I will be sure to follow their instagram @butchmermaidproductions for future productions. For content you can enjoy now, check out their profile on linktr.ee/butchmermaid.

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