The Comedy of Errors is one of Shakespeare’s first plays, a farce written to be performed at a ‘feast of fools’. Shakespearean comedy can be difficult due to the language if done poorly, or even if merely done well. But the play is in the best hands with Shakespeare’s Globe. The Globe is famous for its Shakespeare and rightly so. This performance was one of the best I’ve seen.
The plot is a standard one of mistaken identity, two sets of twins get mixed up in Ephesus, one set having a wife, friends and reputation, the other having only just arrived. They get mistaken for each other continuously and hilarity ensues. This simple and obvious device could stretch the suspension of disbelief but of course this is a farce, the plot isn’t intended to be taken seriously, and the cast knows this and plays to it, with great effect.
The cast was too small for the number of characters and this was part of the joke. The hilarity of two characters talking to each other even though they were played by the same actor was a difficult trick to carry off but was wonderfully done right up until the end. The main actors were Ronan Raftery playing the Antipholus twins and Miltos Yerolemou playing the servant twins, both called Dromio. Despite playing two characters that looked alike it was always clear who they were representing and Ronan and Miltos could entirely switch personalities with the rapid application of a pair of glasses or a hat. Their command of character was brilliant and their acting was superb. But they were not the only ones. The entire cast was excellent, and a treat to watch.
The cast had enormous fun playing up the jokes, with silly sound effects and modern slapstick mixed in with the Shakespearean wit. The fusion was so impeccably done that you couldn’t see the joins. The audience was quickly caught up in the humour and was in fits of laughter throughout. The physicality and theatricality of the acting, with actors leaping off the stage and over-the-top characters hamming it up works perfectly. And this is combined with a superb control of the language. They play to the crowd well, even including audience members in their banter at one point. I was the unfortunate victim of their wit tonight, being brought up to the stage to face Dromio’s humour. But it was in good fun and I thoroughly enjoyed my five seconds of limelight.
The direction was masterful, carried out with wonderful talent by Rebecca Gatward, and the set design was a work of art, by Liz Cooke. Copying original drawings of the touring ‘booth stages’ of the seventeenth century they have created a simple but original stage design that perfectly captures the impression of Shakespearean theatre. Coupled with the beautiful setting of the Bodleian Library Quadrangle it captures a wonderful historical atmosphere. There is no better place to watch seventeenth century theatre than in a seventeenth century building. The setting for the play couldn’t be better, and as an added treat, the interval bar is set up in the old Divinity School inside. This production is an experience of a lifetime to attend, as well as being extremely funny to watch.
The plot is a standard one of mistaken identity, two sets of twins get mixed up in Ephesus, one set having a wife, friends and reputation, the other having only just arrived. They get mistaken for each other continuously and hilarity ensues. This simple and obvious device could stretch the suspension of disbelief but of course this is a farce, the plot isn’t intended to be taken seriously, and the cast knows this and plays to it, with great effect.
The cast was too small for the number of characters and this was part of the joke. The hilarity of two characters talking to each other even though they were played by the same actor was a difficult trick to carry off but was wonderfully done right up until the end. The main actors were Ronan Raftery playing the Antipholus twins and Miltos Yerolemou playing the servant twins, both called Dromio. Despite playing two characters that looked alike it was always clear who they were representing and Ronan and Miltos could entirely switch personalities with the rapid application of a pair of glasses or a hat. Their command of character was brilliant and their acting was superb. But they were not the only ones. The entire cast was excellent, and a treat to watch.
The cast had enormous fun playing up the jokes, with silly sound effects and modern slapstick mixed in with the Shakespearean wit. The fusion was so impeccably done that you couldn’t see the joins. The audience was quickly caught up in the humour and was in fits of laughter throughout. The physicality and theatricality of the acting, with actors leaping off the stage and over-the-top characters hamming it up works perfectly. And this is combined with a superb control of the language. They play to the crowd well, even including audience members in their banter at one point. I was the unfortunate victim of their wit tonight, being brought up to the stage to face Dromio’s humour. But it was in good fun and I thoroughly enjoyed my five seconds of limelight.
The direction was masterful, carried out with wonderful talent by Rebecca Gatward, and the set design was a work of art, by Liz Cooke. Copying original drawings of the touring ‘booth stages’ of the seventeenth century they have created a simple but original stage design that perfectly captures the impression of Shakespearean theatre. Coupled with the beautiful setting of the Bodleian Library Quadrangle it captures a wonderful historical atmosphere. There is no better place to watch seventeenth century theatre than in a seventeenth century building. The setting for the play couldn’t be better, and as an added treat, the interval bar is set up in the old Divinity School inside. This production is an experience of a lifetime to attend, as well as being extremely funny to watch.