The lightest of Shakespeare’s comedies, The Comedy of Errors benefits from a glossy, colourful treatment by director Janine Watson, who reimagines the farce’s setting – the city of Ephesus in ancient Greece – as a kind of tourist trap banana republic, where the citizenry drape themselves in cheerful pastels and the chest of every city official is festooned with military medals and braiding (courtesy of costume and set designer Hugh O’Connor). What does it signify? Perhaps nothing more than that we should treat this production like a well-earned vacation and relax accordingly. They don’t always have to be avant-garde reinventions of the wheel – sometimes Shakespeare is just, well, fun.
A twisty tale of separated twins finding each other after years apart, The Comedy of Errors lays out its scenario by way of a lengthy introductory monologue by the Syracusan merchant Egeon (Maitland Schnaars), whose twin sons and their twin servants were separated by a shipwreck years ago. Now Antipholus of Syracuse (Skyler Ellis) and his bondsman, Dromio (Julia Billington) have come to Ephesus, unaware that the city already has an Antiphonus (Felix Jozeps) and a Dromio (Ella Prince). Cue mistaken identities, mix-ups, and a lot of slapstick and wordplay.
Set to a yacht rock soundtrack – the cast frequently break into dance – and kept moving along at a decent pace, the production is a vibrant, joyful affair once it gets up a head of steam (the opening monologue, wherein we learn Egeon is facing the death penalty for trespassing in Ephesus, is not just a little too long, but also a little too grim for what follows). There’s a touch of classic screwball comedy to the proceedings as the cast trade zingers and puns with each other at a rapid clip, and the knowingly ludicrous plot is part of the charm. Indeed, everything is so engaging, the jokes coming so thick and fast, that you don’t really have a moment to ponder how unlikely the whole thing is until after the curtain call.
Dressed identically, both our Antiphonuses and our Dromios are not afraid to go big for the cheap seats, and while performances are great across the board, the energetic Julia Billington just edges out her castmates as the particularly put-upon Dromio of Syracuse. Joseph ‘Wunujaka’ Althouse (Green Park, Black Cockatoo) is another stand out as Luciano, brother of Adriana (Giema Contini), who is wife to Antiphonus of Ephesus. Those familiar with the play will note that Luciano is Luciana in the original text, and while messing with gender in Shakespeare is literally as old as the plays themselves, here the character is framed as overtly queer. Althouse brings some catty “gay BFF” energy to the role, and the interplay between he and Contini is a delight. As is almost every element.
If we’re being picky, Schnaars is a little too flat as Egeon, and the frequent pauses to rearrange an already sparse stage add nothing except running time. Those are petty niggles, though. The Comedy of Errors is as sweet and light as confectionery, and who turns their nose up at dessert?
