Twelfth Night is one of Shakespeare’s most ludicrous and hilarious comedies with the common themes of ridiculous mistaken identities, separated twins, cross-dressing and the old chestnut of unrequited love. It is Shakespeare’s medieval version of the musical, brimming with verse and song, and opening with the eminent phrase “If music be the food of love, play on!” As one of Shakespeare’s best-loved farcical plays, Twelfth Night has been modernised with a new soundtrack from a Bard of today, Tim Finn. The Crowded House star has composed and adapted 18 songs including O Mistress Mine, Lady Ho Ho and Come Away Death for this Queensland Theatre’s production. Director Sam Strong invited Tim to work on Twelfth Night after he composed the much-accoladed music for the award winning and record breaking, Ladies in Black, which toured nationally. Strong thought Twelfth Night would suit Finn’s writing style, with the classic Shakespearean plot of the joys and melancholia of love.

Christen O’Leary as Malvolia in Twelfth Night. Photographs all supplied

Finn is a Kiwi music legend, alleged to have been named by Paul McCartney as “the best living songwriter in the world” coupled with a quote from George Harrison that “Crowded House played the music...