Shakespeare Theatre Company - The Comedy of Errors

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A few weeks ago, a friend invited me to see The Comedy of Errors, a Shakespeare play. She has a subscription to see performances by the Shakespeare Theatre Company in DC, and that night happened to be their "Young Prose" night (i.e. targeted towards younger audiences and includes beer and wine), so I was very excited to go.

I had never heard of this play before (or if I had, it was only by name). I had no idea what it was about, so I was glad there was a short synopsis in the program. Essentially, a man and his wife had identical twin baby boys, and they adopted another pair of identical twin boys from a poor woman; those latter boys were to be the servants of the first set of twins. The whole family was on a boat, and in a huge storm they were separated. So one son and his servant grew up with their father, and the other set grew up elsewhere. They are separated for decades, and then one pair visits the town where the other set lives. Because they are identical, the townspeople become very confused, mistaking the identity of all four men throughout the play. Hilarity ensues, but eventually everyone learns the true story and they live happily ever after.

I liked that the program commented on the common thread of mistaken identity throughout many of Shakespeare's plays. I especially saw the connection with A Midsummer Night's Dream, when Puck gets mixed up between the two Athenian men in the forest. I had never thought about it before, but it was like Shakespeare was using the same joke over and over again. My friend said, "Well, if it worked once, why not keep doing it?"

But what is different is that every theater company can interpret the play in their own way and perform it as they wish. My parents actually saw the same play at a different theater in the same week, and we compared notes. For example, the version I saw had some songs in it! Shakespeare did not write this to be a musical, but there were several songs throughout, and even a tap-dancing routine! This was really unexpected, but I liked it! Although I will admit some of it was a bit over-the-top: at one point we are inside a brothel, and Eleasha Gamble, as a courtesan, performs a number called "Porcupine;" she wore a spiky headdress, and there was even a bristly bush attached to her dress around her pubic region! NOT what I think Shakespeare had in mind, but I think he would have appreciated the creativity and gotten a big laugh out of it.

That floral tummy bit flips down to reveal...well, you know. Image found here

The actors with the Shakespeare Theatre Company are AMAZING. I was impressed with all of them. Christian Conn and Gregory Wooddell were the identical sons, and Carson Elrod and Carter Gill were the identical servants. They were all hilarious and played off of each other very well. They even threw in some physical, slapstick comedy, which I thought was perfect for this play; it also helped me understand some of what they were saying, since the old English of Shakespeare can be confusing. I was smiling and laughing during the entire show. I just had such a good time!

This was one of the most memorable parts for me: this guy is describing a woman who is as big as the globe, and he talks about how different parts of her body are certain countries from around the world. Image found here

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They have extended the performances through November 4, so you haven't missed your chance yet to go! AND this is one of Shakespeare's shorter plays, so there isn't even an intermission. It's like watching a movie. You have no excuse NOT to go! Here's a teaser video if you're not convinced: