←Recommendations of Ador'd Once, Too

I must admit, with proper shame, that I have made it this far into my life without having read or seen Twelfth Night. That makes me living proof that you can enjoy the socks off of this play (basically Sir Andrew's origin story) without knowing anything about the story that inspired it. Plus now I will have the added joy of holding all of Toby Malone's delicious backstory in my head whenever I DO finally get around to Twelfth Night. There's adventure, there's intrigue, there's tragedy, there's dueling... Shakespeare couldn't have done better himself!

An exciting and tremendous romance, that builds off of Shakespeare's character while existing as a worthy adventure in its own right. Malone crafts a period play that weaves politics, pirates, passion, and plots upon pernicious plots. All the while, this story addresses and twists the idea of what makes someone a fool, or indeed, a knight.

Twelfth Night inspired plays are almost always an instant recommendation in my book, but an epic prequel play about Sir Andrew’s adventures before the Bard’s story? I adored every second; it’s a play I’d love to see in rep with the original Shakespeare. (Or even better: as part of a whole season of plays like this exploring Twelfth Night! That could be lovely.)

If ever there was a character more deserving of an origin story, it is the much-maligned Sir Andrew Aguecheek. Malone delivers a thrilling and complex period drama, packed to the brim with intrigue, swashbuckling, and a beautiful-but-doomed love story. The characters are accessible even to those without knowledge of Twelfth Night, but the Easter eggs within the text will delight fans of the original play. I really enjoyed it! This would be a fantastic piece for educational theatre programs to pair with a study or performance of Twelth Night.

Ador'd Once, Too picks up on a famous line from a famous cameo role in a famous play, and renders Sir Andrew a full blooded man with a complex history. Malone's skill in fleshing out his past, on deliciously extending the rollicking Sir Toby, and also creating the mysterious Jocasta and a host of other endearing characters makes this a play we can all adore too, more than once! The action and romance bring any stage to life, and the play is both reverent of its source while being true to its own unique style.

I love Shakespeare. I love TWELFTH NIGHT. I love origin stories. And I particularly love origin stories that retain the magic and charm of the original while being its own original entity. And in creating the origin story for Sir Andrew Aguecheek, Toby Malone's ADOR'D ONCE, TOO is all of these in one epic, magical, funny, romantic, Malonean-cum-Shakespearean work. Read it, savor it, love it, produce it. It's that wonderful!

Spirited, charming Twelfth Night prequel. NOT a parody or adaptation. References to and resonances with Shakespeare's text will be a joy to those in the know but are not essential to the understanding of general audiences. Ador'd Once Too gives Sir Andrew a poignant sense of humanity and reveals some of the war and strife that pre-dates the action of the source material. Malone's hilarious rendering of Sir Toby Belch is spot on! It would be great fun to produce the two in rotating rep.

Ador'd Once, Too is one of those scripts that gives an opportunity for a lot of actors to shine. It is rich with references that lovers of Twelth Night will appreciate while forging its own path. The little threads that might have been one line in Shakespeare's script have been pulled into fully fleshed characters and plots here. The life of Sir Andrew becomes more fleshed out and rounded with this addition and his budding love is a joy to watch. Sir Toby is especially fun here. This is a great world-expanding extension to a classic and loved story.

A captivating love story. Toby Malone weaves in many engaging twists and turns with intriguing literary and historical touching points. College Drama classes would have a lot of fun with this, as would any company interested in Shakespearean material.