Comedy of Errors

The Comedy of Errors is one of Shakespeare’s earliest plays and features an almost Parent Trap style mix up of identical twins. In the original play, Antipholus and Dromio of Syracuse visit Ephesus and end up confused with the Antipholus and Dromio that live there, leading to a lot of slapstick, declarations of love and a commotion around a necklace.

A new, modernised version produced by Shakespeare North Playhouse and Stephen Joseph Theatre transports the action to the 1980’s and the towns of Prescot and Scarborough where each theatre is located. This self-described “more or less” version by Elizabeth Godber and Nick Lane has, by their own admission, been “messed about with”, and now features classic 80’s songs, shell suits, and a return of the War of the Roses.

In this contemporary version, Antipholus (David Kirkbride) and Dromio (Oliver Mawdsley) of Prescot arrive in Scarborough as Antipholus has been booked to perform his one man show. Unfortunately, he’s been booked on the night of the big talent show so he hasn’t sold any tickets. He’s also unaware that his twin brother owes money to some fairly unsavoury characters. Without giving too much of the updated plot away, Antipholus of Prescot falls in love, chippy teas are eaten, local criminal Big Sandra (Claire Eden) makes some scary threats, and the greatest cheerleading performance ever takes place during the talent show.

From start to finish, this production is an absolute joy. The acting and singing performances delivered by the 7 strong cast were phenomenal. Alyce Liburd as Adriana and Ida Regan as Luciana performing Cher’s Just Like Jesse James was a particular highlight of the show.

This is an ensemble masterpiece of theatre. With such a small cast everyone has multiple roles, and the relatively short periods where they aren’t on set are spent changing into costumes, some of which are ridiculously eccentric but tie into the humour of the piece perfectly.

David Kirkbride as Antipholus of Prescot/Scarborough is flawless. As the confusion around the actions of the two Antipholus grows, his delivery of the farcical elements makes for some of the best theatre we have ever watched. The partnership with Oliver Mawdsley as Dromio of Prescot/Scarborough is sublime, with the pair making a comedy force that left us in tears of laughter.

Ida Regan and Alyce Liburd’s Luciana and Adriana are another perfect pairing. They have a natural chemistry and are completely believable as sisters. Andy Cryer has some of the most intense role changes throughout the production, particularly in the closing minutes, but his comedic delivery is exemplary. His portrayal of Angelo was reminiscent of Harry Enfield and received some of the biggest laughs of the show. Finally, Claire Eden and Valerie Antwi deliver some amazing characters, particularly Big Sandra and Anne from Look North.

The entire cast appear to be having a lot of fun with this production, which the audience can’t help but reflect back.

There are a vast array of local jokes within the script, but a lack of local knowledge wouldn’t detract from the enjoyment of the show thanks to the amount of generic classic comedic moments to enjoy. One particular exchange between Luciana (Ida Regan) and Anne from Look North (Valerie Antwi) was so quick witted and unexpected that we are still laughing at it hours later, but involved no local awareness.

The set design is minimal for this production. Taking place in the round, boards similar to those found on Scarborough pier are the only real set. A park bench is utilised sparingly, but the production doesn’t need anything more. The skill of the cast, their high energy performances and the costumes are more than enough.

This production is fun, a little camp, and kept the audience laughing throughout. We enjoyed it so much we have bought tickets to see it again next week. This is a classic re-imagining that would serve as a perfect introduction to Shakespeare.

The show runs at Shakespeare North Playhouse until 25th March and then runs at the Stephen Joseph Theatre from 30th March to 15th April.

Originally posted: March 12, 2023