William Shakespeare’s Comedy of Errors arrives at Shakespeare Theatre Company like a ship in the night, but artistic director Simon Godwin’s raucous interpretation is less of a journey than it is a trip. Riding the high of last season’s Macbeth and fighting the current of the company’s attention-grabbing fall alternative—the Matthew Broderick-led Babbitt opening Oct. 1—this high-energy adaptation of Shakespeare’s slept-on comedy is silly, shocking, and a little bit unhinged. But if you’re willing to get on board, Comedy of Errors is exhilarating proof of just how much fun live theater can be.
The play opens on the shores of Ephesus where, on the brink of arrest, Syracusian tradesman Egeon (Timothy D. Stickney) conveniently lays out the nearly impossible set of circumstances that the plot relies on. Featuring a handy-dandy exposition sequence deftly choreographed by Nancy Renee Braun, audiences learn that Egeon and his wife, Emilia, were separated at sea some 20-odd years prior, each taking with them one of their identical twin sons (both named Antipholus), plus one of their identical twin wards (both named Dromio).
Double-trouble hijinks ensue in real time when the now-grown Antipholus of Syracuse (Christian Thompson) and Dromio of Syracuse (Alex Brightman) arrive in Ephesus and are immediately mistaken for their likenesses, Antipholus of Ephesus (Ralph Adriel Johnson) and Dromio of Ephesus (David Fynn). The Port of Ephesus is staged as a nondescript travelers’ town somewhere along the Mediterranean coast. Made intimate and aglow with the help of Stacey Derosier’s lighting design, scenic designer Ceci Calf’s truncated wharf includes the entryways of the Antipholus household, a local tap house, and the apparitional doors of an abbey.
From Twelfth Night to Two Gentlemen of Verona, Shakespeare is no stranger to the mistaken-identity plot device, nor does he shy away from the “twins separated at birth” trope as evidenced in Comedy of Errors. While Shakespeare’s dialogue might provide enough context clues for audiences to suspend their disbelief—thus dissolving the need for two sets of identical cast members—STC’s production leans heavily in to visual gags, pulling off a near illusionary feat of misdirection.
This is not to say that the dually cast actors do not share a passing likeness (Brightman and Fynn more so than Thompson and Johnson), but with the support of Alejo Vietti’s color-coded costume design, the first “bait and switch” of the evening (in which Fynn’s Dromio is mistaken for Brightman’s Dromio) solicits an earnest double take among audience members. Conducive with the production’s Mediterranean steam-punk aesthetic, Vietti puts each of the supporting cast members in foggy shades of mustard yellow, while the Antipholuses don matching white linen suits and the Dromios a deeper shade of red and orange. It may sound rather simple, but this Comedy of Errors is as visually clever as the script itself. The result is an optical pinball effect that amplifies Godwin’s bouncy staging.
Antipholus of Ephesus’ wife, Adriana (Shayvawn Webster), and sister-in-law Luciana (Cloteal L. Horne) provide the ingredients for a love quadrilateral. This production, however, tends to neglect the significance of the extramarital plotline (which also includes Kimberly Dodson as the courtesan Thaisa) in favor of highlighting the leading men. Members of the ensemble (Ro Boddie, Jacob Brandt, Camilo Linares, Paige Rammelkamp, and Pearl Rhein) especially shine when providing instrumental accompaniment for Michael Bruce’s surprisingly catchy score.
More to the point, Comedy of Errors is funny—really funny. With the occasional dramatic one-off such as Webster’s richly delivered monologue on virtue and infidelity or Fynn’s meaningful reflection on the life of a servant—the show consists of joke after joke after joke. Granted, some of these antics are more excessive than others (including a tried-and-true chase scene through the aisles of the theater), but the play does not pretend to be anything but a farce. And as farces go, this one includes a cackling nun (Amanda Naughton) and an attempted exorcism at the hands of Pinch (Eric Hissom), a “quack” physician whose name holds double, maybe even triple, entendre.
This fast-paced, sharp-tongued production has a lot going for it: It’s clever, energetic, and easy to find unconventional heroism in its characters. But at the end of the day, the show is a vehicle for just how talented Brightman and Fynn truly are. With several Broadway and West End credits to boast, the two actors play their respective Dromios with such awe-inducing sincerity it is difficult to tell if the production would have succeeded without this casting. These scene-stealers are two parts of a hilarious and heartwarming whole—easy proof here that double the pleasure equals double the fun.
William Shakespeare’s Comedy of Errors, directed by Simon Godwin, has been extended and now runs through Oct. 20 at Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Klein Theatre. Fall Arts Guide Rating: 5 out of 5 stars. shakespearetheatre.org. $37–$193.