The Comedy of Errors by William Shakespeare (1564-1616) tells the story of the two sons of Aegeon, a merchant of Syracuse, who are separated as a result of a shipwreck. One grows up in Syracuse, the other in Ephesus, both are named Antipholus and, as if that wasn't confusing enough, both have a manservant by name of Dromio - another pair of twins separated in the same disaster. A misjudged opening sequence sees the effectively-delivered narration of this essential back-story by Alan Richards's Aegeon upstaged by a spurt of dancing from the Duke of Ephesus. In general, the 70s theme chosen by director Dan Usztan suits the play very well, but here makes the character of Solinus (Matthew Baldwin) hard to take seriously, as he threatens the Syracusan trespasser with execution.

When Antipholus and Dromio of Syracuse arrive in Ephesus, the scene is set for a farce of predictable but entertaining confusion, as the foreigners split up and begin to bump into the servant or master of each other's counterpart. Bizarre characters become embroiled, but in typically comic way all is resolved as the pandemonium peaks.

The company solves finding two sets of identical twins by having one actor play both of each pair. It's a bold decision, but generally works, as Tom Mallaburn (Antipholus of Ephesus/Antipholus of Syracuse) and Dan Smith (Dromio of Ephesus/Dromio of Syracuse) establish the differences in each of their characters effectively - despite the strain on the suspension of disbelief caused by their near-identical costumes. But the last scene - in which the two actors suddenly take on the parts of both Antipholus and Dromio at the same time - is a bit hard to swallow. Dan Smith’s portrayal of the two cheeky manservants is confident, and his description of the kitchen wench is particularly well received. Catriona Knox takes a fine comic turn as the frustrated Adriana, wife of Antipholus of Ephesus, but perhaps misses an opportunity to find a greater depth in the jealous nature of the character. Felicity Davidson delivers perfectly the character of her maligned sister Luciana, brought out of the shadows by the affections of Antipholus of Syracuse, mistaken at the time for Adriana's husband. The standout performance is by David Levine as camp goldsmith Angelo, though with credit to Dan Usztan for his skilful manipulation of Angelo's lines to help create this excellent character interpretation.

Cast Credits: (alpha order): Matthew Baldwin - Solinus / Officer. Lizzie Bates - 1st Merchant / Courtesan / Aemilia. Felicity Davidson - Luciana. Felix Eastcott - Gaoler / 2nd Merchant / Dr Pinch. Catriona Knox - Adriana. David Levine - Angelo / Solinus's Assistant. Tom Mallaburn - Antipholus of Ephesus / Antipholus of Syracuse. Alan Richards - Aegeon. Dan Smith - Dromio of Ephesus / Dromio of Syracuse.

Company Credits: Writer - William Shakespeare (1564-1616). Director - Dan Usztan. Choreographer - Daniel Edwards. Production Photographer - Phil Hurt. Poster Design - Jason Fields. Producer - Dan Smith. Company - Forum Theatre Company.

END

(c) Hugh Pearson 2008

reviewed Tuesday 26 February 2008 / Courtyard Theatre

Fringe Report (c) Fringe Report 2002-2012

www.fringereport.com