Reviewed
by Jerry Kraft
"The
Comedy of Errors" is a light comedy by any measure. One of Shakespeare's earliest
works, it was greatly influenced by "The Menaechmi" by the Roman
comic playwright, Plautus. With two identical twin boys separated in their
youth and unaware of the other's existence, along with their twin servants,
both named Dromio, it goofs on mistaken identity, compromised fidelity and the
desire to resolve the self and self-history. At the end it also resolves with
the last minute salvation of Aegeon, the father of the twin boys (both named
Antipholus), and the return to a proper order of romantic attachment.
As
if to acknowledge its slight premise, "The Comedy of Errors"
frequently breaks into song and dance, rowdy chases and that mechanical staple
of farce, the revolving door. In this production, director Stephanie Shine hits just the right weight for
all this nonsense while sustaining just enough thematic sincerity to keep it
all grounded. The actors are talented and well-balanced, and there is a real
sense that this is pure fun, but not purely preposterous, an easy entertainment
built around an intriguing story.
Shine's
decision to set it in Cajun Louisiana is a canny and effective choice. The
Mardi Gras traditions of masquerade, bawdy revelry and musical romance all fit
neatly into the action of the play. The transformation of Dr. Pinch into a
voodoo witchdoctor was funny and seemed quite appropriate to the dubious nature
of Elizabethan medicine. Jason Phillips' set design with its overgrown tropical decadence
created a lush and exotic environment enhanced by Doris Black's well-finished costumes and Tim
Wratten's evocative lighting design. Don Darryl Rivera's original music was relevant
and enjoyable.
The
opening of the play, with Aegeon facing the hangman's noose, was unexpectedly
macabre given the circumstances of Saddam's recent demise, but it also
reinforced Shakespeare's emphasis on the life and death consequence of
reuniting these brothers and this family, the key thematic line beneath all the
comic complications. As Aegeon, Gregg Loughbridge had charm and a rascal's
swagger, as well as a fine singing voice. We never doubted for a minute that he
would be rescued from the rope, but it was equally clear how he had gotten into
such a predicament.
As
the twin sons, MJ Sieber and George Mount both had a delicious sense of riding along on a comic
current that provided amusements, distractions and plenty of romantic
enticement. Sieber was especially good at giving us a sense of trying to remain
astride a life that was wildly unbridled, while Mount played his character as a
man trying equally hard to regain control over events that had grown
distressingly disruptive. As Adriana, the wife of Antipholus of Ephesus
(Mount), Deborah Fialkow had fine comic expression as the eternal wife wondering why her
husband seems to have lost interest, and determined to win back his affection,
albeit by unwittingly taking the other brother (Sieber) into her house. The
wonderful Alexandra Tavares plays the younger sister with just the right moonstruck
swooning, and seemed quite sufficient reason for the instant rapture of
Antipholus of Syracuse (Sieber). Finally, the two servants Dromio, played by Gabriel
Baron and David
Goldstein,
maintained a slapstick comedy balanced by credible loyalty to their masters.
Both were funny, apparently effortless fools toiling at the slipping gears of
the play's machinery.
Seattle
Shakespeare Company has a solid history of gathering many of Seattle's best
actors and producing admirable, sometimes quite brilliant productions.
"The Comedy of Errors" isn't brilliant, but it is certainly
admirable, and entertaining in large part because of its honest and consistent
fidelity to the play's limited intentions. It's a delightful production, and in
its fresh and good-spirited playing, a pleasure to experience.