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Talawa’s Play On! is a slick, joyous production honouring the legacy of Duke Ellington
- Ilayda McIntosh
- Feb 5, 2025
- 2 min read
4 stars
Talawa’s Play On! is a dynamic retelling of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night; set in Harlem’s legendary Cotton Club. A young songwriter arrives to New York, ready to make it to the top in ‘a man’s world’. What ensues is a classical journey of disguise, musicality and romance set upon a timeless jazz soundtrack - phenomenally presented with a live on-stage band.
The musical was originally conceived by Sheldon Epps and written by Cheryl L.West - debuting in 1990s New York. Talawa’s revival, directed by Artistic Director Michael Buffong, is a joy-filled production full of heart, slick movement direction and soulful vocals.
Though the play draws loose inspiration from the classic Shakespeare play, it feels like a unique ode to the legacy of Duke Ellington. The blend of jazz and street dance (choreographed by Kenrick H2O Sandy) give the 1940s backdrop a refreshing, contemporary essence.
Viola/Vyman (Tsemaye Bob-Egbe) and The Duke (Earl Gregory) lead with undeniable chemistry and immaculate vocals. Amidst the chaos of the young musicians/lovers, Sweets (Lifford Shillingford) and Miss Mary (Tanya Edwards) provide moments of tender relief. Whilst Llewellyn Jamal provides slick, comic relief as Viola’s uncle Jester.
A particular highlight is the impassioned rendition of Rocks in My Bed, in which three men share their romance woes in spectacular fashion at the Cotton Club’s bar. Lifford Shillingford delivers a phenomenal, unforgettable performance.
Play On is at the heart of the Talawa’s Black Joy Season; a partnership between Talawa, Olivier Award-winning J Clare Productions and Chuchu Ngawu Productions to create local and national opportunities for Black artists.
Play On! is on at Lyric Hammersmith until 22 Feb 2025.
The way this is described — slick movement direction, soulful vocals, and that Harlem setting — makes it sound like one of those shows where the costuming and lighting are basically part of the storytelling. I’m curious how bold the wardrobe palette goes in the Cotton Club scenes (especially with street-dance elements layered in), because that can totally change how “period” it feels. I’ve gone down similar rabbit holes on StyleLookLab when I’m trying to pin down why certain tones read modern vs vintage.
I like that the review doesn’t treat the Shakespeare link as the main event — it sounds like the production stands on its own, especially with that jazz + street dance mix keeping the period setting from feeling like a museum piece. The chemistry between Viola/Vyman and The Duke sounds like it’s doing a lot of the emotional heavy lifting too. This whole “timeless soundtrack, modern movement” thing weirdly reminded me of a Ghibli style image tool I stumbled on before — different medium, but same idea of honoring a vibe without copying it outright.
Setting Twelfth Night in the Cotton Club feels like such a smart way to make the disguises and romantic mix-ups land without feeling dusty, and the live band detail really sells it. Also, that “Rocks in My Bed” bar sequence sounds like the kind of number that makes you forget you’re watching a retelling. Random aside: I’ve definitely had to do time-math after shows like this, and a playback speed time calculator comes in handy when you’re trying to squeeze in a cast album on the commute.
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I recently watched a production with a similar mix of live music and modern choreography, and it completely transformed the story for me. The energy and creativity reminded me of the focus and excitement I get while playing Polytrack —engaging from start to finish.