The Comedy of Errors

Synopsis

Sets of twins, hilarious storytelling and wonderful humanity in the Bard's comic masterpiece and shortest play. Naturally, there are two cases of mistaken identity to deal with in this tale of 24 hours in the life of two sets of twins.

Our Review:

27 June 2011

The Comedy of Errors is Shakespeare's shortest play and probably the most accessible, but it's rarely as accessible as this. Transported to a seedy looking Mediterranean resort, this is Shakespeare for a generation that likes its humour crude and delivered at a frantic pace. It works perfectly thanks to some strong ensemble playing and the inherent strength of Shakespeare's writing.

Shakespeare borrowed the plot from Plautus – added the twist of another pair of twins and created a high-spirited farce. Director Edward Hall stirs up the mix and bit more and Shakespeare almost takes a back seat to the sight gags, sound effects, slapstick and musical interludes.

Propeller productions are renowned for their emphasis on physical theatre and Hall has incorporated plenty of slapstick into the staging. There's a feel of early Hollywood comedies, indeed the production borrows heavily from classic comedians such as Laurel and Hardy and the Marx Bro...

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Latest User Review

Mo Crafer - 5 July 2011:

A truly rib tickling evening and the coffee was good too....

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