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The Comedy of Errors is a comedy by William Shakespeare. It involves two sets of twins who were separated shortly after their birth. Their father is facing death but has been given one day to find his sons so they can repay his debts. Throughout the day, confusing situations abound as each brother and their servants are mistaken for each other.

This was a hilarious production. The slapstick bits were hysterical. The set (Tony Cisek) was primarily made up of eleven colorful doors of different widths. Costumes (Kate Turner-Walker) were made of clashing patterns and colors, which sounds bizarre, but worked really well. A minstrel (Jesse Terrill) provided music and interacted with the cast througout the show. Dan Covey’s lights provided rapid shifts in focus as characters would speak to the audience in asides. Director Aaron Posner’s task was to combine the cast and the technical areas, and he succeeded beautifully.

The male actors wore masks created by Aaron Cromie. The masks covered their cheeks and nose, and for the two Dromios (Nathan Keepers and Darius Pierce) the mask also covered their ears, rather reminiscently of aliens from Star Trek. The two Antipholi (Antipholuses?) were played by Darragh Kennan and Bruce Nelson. Despite not quite being the same height, it was difficult at times for us to tell them apart. Antipholus of Ephesus’ wife, Adriana was portrayed by Suzanne O’Donnell quite sympathetically as she struggled with her husband’s strange behavior. Adriana’s sister Luciana (Erin Weaver) was very supportive, despite her flirtations with who she thought was Antipholus. The cast was rounded out by the exceptional performances of Stephen D’Ambrose, Catherine Flye, Matthew R. Wilson, and Rachel Zampell, who each played multiple roles.

Folger Theatre’s The Comedy of Errors is a rollicking show not to be missed.

Photo Gallery

The Goldsmith (Matthew R. Wilson) and Antipholus of Ephesus (Bruce Nelson)	Dromio of Syracuse (Nathan Keepers) and his master, Antipholus of Syracuse (Darragh Kennan)
Domio of Ephesus (Darius Pierce) with his master, Antipholus of Ephesus (Bruce Nelson)	Twins Antipholus of Ephesus (Bruce Nelson) and Antipholus of Syracuse (Darragh Kennan)

Photos by Carol Pratt.

Cast

• Nigel Proun/Egeon and others: Stephen D’Ambrose
• Prudence Tushingham/Abbess and others: Catherine Flye
• Nat Boon/Dromio of Syracuse: Nathan Keepers
• Percy Darlington/Antipholus of Syracuse: Darragh Kennan
• Timothy Tushingham/Antipholus of Ephesus: Bruce Nelson
• Annie Ballston Tushingham/Adriana: Suzanne O’Donnell
• Dirk Boon/Dromio of Ephesus: Darius Pierce
• Morgan Jones/Luciana: Erin Weaver
• Mycroft Smalls/The Duke and others: Matthew R. Wilson
• Mickey Mercer/Courtesan and others: Rachel Zampelli

Crew

• Director: Aaron Posner
• Scenic Design: Tony Cisek
• Costume Design: Kate Turner-Walker
• Lighting Design: Dan Covey
• Original Music/Musician: Jesse Terrill
• Sound Design: Nick Kourtides
• Assistant Director/Mask & Puppet Design: Aaron Cromie
• Resident Dramaturg: Michele Osherow
• Production Stage Manager: Jenna Henderson

Disclaimer: Folger Theatre provided two complimentary media tickets to ShowBizRadio for this review.