Comedy of Errors
Roaring good fun at Shakespeare Theatre Company.
The artistic director of the Shakespeare Theatre Company in DC, Simon Godwin, proves once again what a brilliant director he is. His production of Shakespeare’s Comedy of Errors is roaring good fun, and a brilliant night in the theater. This is the second production of Comedy of Errors I have seen at the Shakespeare; the last was in 2018 also brilliantly directed by Alan Paul, who is now the Artistic Director of the Barrington Stage Company. But Godwin has managed, with his incredible skill, to make this production different, wonderful, and totally his own.
Comedy of Errors is one of Shakespeare’s earliest plays. It is the story of two sets of twins, each with the same name—what could go wrong? Apparently, everything that can. When you go to see this play, you must leave your logic behind, and enjoy an evening of music, farce, and folly. Servants misplace their masters, and wives overlook their husbands. Chaos reigns. What makes it so great is the joyousness of the entire cast, and their brilliant acting.
The plot is simple. The mother and father of two sets of twins are shipwrecked when the twins are children. They end up separated, not knowing if each other survive. The twins become separated with one of each twin set ending up together. Their father only knows one of the pairs has survived, and goes on a lifelong search for the other two, thinking his wife is dead. His search takes him to Ephesus, Greece, where he is arrested and trying to convince the authorities of his search. After a riotous romp of fun and games, and mistaken identity, it turns out they find each other all in Ephesus.
The cast in this production is uniformly superb. It includes Alex Brightman, David Fynn, Ralph Adriel Johnson, and Christian Thompson (Dromio, Dromio, Antipholus, and Antipholus, respectively). Alex Brightman and David Fynn, who play the two Dromio’s, each a servant to one of the other twins, keep you laughing and entranced every time they are on stage, which for one or the other is nearly the entire production. From their few slightly more serious scenes, very few, to their fantastic slapstick comedy, they are amazing to watch and listen too. Then there are the women in the cast. The wife, her sister, the gold merchant, and the courtesan. They are also fun to watch and uniformly great actors. They include: Shayvawn Webster (Adriana), Cloteal L. Horne (Lucia), Pearl Rhein (Angela), and Kimberly Dodson (Thaisa). The entire cast Godwin has assembled for this show can sing, dance, and act. All are what are called in the theater community, triple threats. There is not a member of the cast who isn’t great, and perfect for the roles they are in.
Then what adds to your enjoyment of this night in the theater is the supremely talented creative team. It includes; Scenic Designer, Ceci Calf, whose sets are wonderful and just totally help bring to life what is happening on stage. Then Choreographer, Nancy Renee Braun, has the talented cast moving in such great ways. Add to that the great work of Lighting Designer, Stacey Derosier; Sound Designer, Christopher Shutt; Composer, Michael Bruce; Costume Designer, Alejo Vietti; and Fight Choreographer, Robb Hunter. Together they constitute one of the greatest creative teams I have seen for a play.
I would recommend you don’t wait long to buy your ticket to Comedy of Errors. It is selling fast, and has been extended through October 20th. Tickets are available online.