Comedy of Errors is one of Shakespeare’s plays that, while not as obscure as for example Cymbaline, is not among his most popularly produced today. And sure there are logistical reasons that might help play in to that; the story focuses on two sets of identical twins who get split up as babies. When one pair unknowingly comes to the town where their brothers live, the confusion of mistaken identities (compounded by the fact that each twin shares a name with his brother) lead to hilarious mishaps. And the need for two sets of actors identical with each other is for sure a casting question to figure out. Go realistic and track down four actors that can believably do it, or just have the audience suspend disbelief?

Part of it may also be that this type of farce just isn’t as commonly done in the states these days. It presents ample opportunity for slapstick and over the top comedy. And it’s kind of a shame we don’t see it more often. Sometimes there’s tremendous value in laughing at a well told but ultimately ridiculous story.

Shakespeare Sports Theatre Company’s production, directed by Michael Hagins,
captures perfectly the spirit of farce and hilarity behind the play. The actors are masked, with the twins in matching costumes, a solution that lends the air of identical appearance while also allowing the audience to be able to tell fairly easily which Antiphalus and which Dromio is which.

Simple and effective (in the style of all good Elizabethan theatre). Since the production is being performed at a number of primarily outdoor venues, Hagins’ energetic staging relies on just a handful of key props and a curtained entryway. There’s a special kind of magic to a production that can pull up with a couple of props and costumes and sucker you in to a story.

And the cast is great at keeping you engaged and laughing. There script has been
skillfully edited to an effective, say, 80 minutes, but it’s also full of tight performances that never shy away from going big. Emily Glosser and Jennifer Kim as the two Dromios, servants to the two Antiphaluses, are great at matching each other’s energy. Vic Gitre and Charlie Keegan James as the other brothers can also match energy, but you can also tell the distinct differences. Gitre’s Antiphalus runs a gambit of reactions to the various misunderstandings (anger, confusion, fear, pleasure at the random gifts these strangers who know his name want to give him…) while Keegan James’ keeps getting angrier and angrier as his friends and wife keep trying to prove him mad with nobody (sometimes not even Dromio) agreeing with his account of the day. Melissa Meli is deliciously dramatic as Adriana, wife of the local Antiphalus, and Erica Gerold sympathetic as her kind and seemingly long suffering sister Luciana. In general, it’s a troupe of expert clowns with excellent comedic timing who make each beat land.

It’s sometimes hard for comedy to age well. When done right, much of Shakespeare’s jokes hold up more than 4 centuries down the line. Skillful with the physical bits, wielding the language expertly, Hagins and cast are simply among the latest to find the mirth and merriment in these jokes, but the bring them to life with such joy it’s hard to resist.