What You Will

What you will is a new musical written by William Morris and Simon Warne. It follows the story of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, but in a modern setting.

All the musical material in the show is original, as is the script. This is an excellent opportunity to get to grips with a new score and new characters.

Look alike brother and sister, Vee and Sebastian, are separated on the first night in the big city following a bar explosion (“What you will”). Vee thinks Sebastian is dead and in confused mourning poses as him in his new job as assistant to counsellor, Theo (“Why did I say that”). Theo is madly in love with his client, Olivia, and sends Vee to do his wooing – but Olivia falls in love with the disguised girl (“Yours is the heart”).

Things get more complicated when Olivia’s self-important agent, Malcolm, is persuaded by Olivia’s uncle, the over-weight, alcoholic Sir Toby, that Olivia loves him (“Let our love advance”). As Malcolm does his flirting, the situation almost comes to blows, when he realises that Olivia’s heart is for Vee alone. Luckily the situation is diffused by Joe, Sebastian’s best friend who sees Vee and mistakes her for Sebastian.

In the meantime, Theo thinks Olivia loves him and is going to marry him (“So this is what it means to fall in love”) and Olivia thinks she is going to marry Vee (“There’s something about a ring”). Vee finally has to come clean. All ends well, as Joe finds Sebastian and brings him back, where he falls in love with Olivia, Vee and Theo get their act together and even Sir Toby finds love with Olivia’s assistant, Maria (“So this is what it means to fall in love Reprise”).