Seeing a performance at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre has all the charm and excitement that you might expect. Seeing The Comedy of Errors, Shakespeare's most farcical play, only triples the enjoyment. The play, directed by Blanche McIntyre, is the story of two sets of twins who are separated as children. One pair of twin brothers (both called Antipholus) are, in two different cities, the masters of twin brothers (both called Dromio). The hilarity ensues when Antipholus and Dromio of Syracuse enter the city of Ephesus where the other Antipholus and other Dromio live. What follows is over-the-top slapstick humor (as slapstick humor should be) and wonderfully drawn out jokes of mistaken identity.
To start things off, McIntyre has added a ten minute scene of Dromio of Ephesus (played by Jamie Wilkes) as he tries to retrieve a piece of laundry that is hung far too high to reach. Determined to do his job as Antopholus' servant, he concocts all sorts of ideas to try and get the shirt. He tries reaching on his toes, jumping, climbing a ladder, and using a rope. Eventually he has to give up and the shirt remains hung on the ceiling for the majority of the play. It only falls down after a major scuffle at which point Dromio of Ephesus can finally have some relief on the matter.
This piece of the play, added entirely by McIntyre, sets the tone for the rest of the performance. The audience is engrossed and humored by Dromio's attempts, and for me, this bit at the beginning endeared him to me. Indeed, Jamie Wilkes' performance throughout was one of the finest of the evening. While all of the cast members were fully committed to their roles and held nothing back, Wilkes' performance had a cleanliness to it which was very refreshing.
Second to his performance was that of Simon Harrison who played Antipholus of Syracuse. Upon entering Ephesus, Antipholus of Syracuse is immediately mistaken for Antipholus of Ephesus and the people of the city treat him with an incredibly warm regard. His supposed 'wife', at first furious at him for missing supper and worried that he may no longer love her, proceeds to kiss him at which time Antipholus of Syracuse can hardly hold back his pleasure at being so welcomed in a foreign city. The mistaken identity leads Antipholus of Syracuse to a lovely supper at 'home' and a beautiful 'sister-in-law' with whom he immediately falls in love. As the play continues, Harrison portrays the perfect combination of boyish giddy alternated with a comical fury every time one of the Dromios does something that he didn't ask for.
Such confusion is the perfect opportunity for Shakespeare to showcase his writing talents, for when it all does come to a head, the back-and-forth between characters makes me laugh just to think of it. And the Globe's open-air amphitheater structure lends itself to audience participation. Standing in the yard amongst hundred of audience members, it felt as though we were truly participating in the performance and it added to the overall enjoyment. The Comedy of Errors at the Globe is one of the most hilarious and purely entertaining shows I have ever seen. I highly recommend it.
To start things off, McIntyre has added a ten minute scene of Dromio of Ephesus (played by Jamie Wilkes) as he tries to retrieve a piece of laundry that is hung far too high to reach. Determined to do his job as Antopholus' servant, he concocts all sorts of ideas to try and get the shirt. He tries reaching on his toes, jumping, climbing a ladder, and using a rope. Eventually he has to give up and the shirt remains hung on the ceiling for the majority of the play. It only falls down after a major scuffle at which point Dromio of Ephesus can finally have some relief on the matter.
This piece of the play, added entirely by McIntyre, sets the tone for the rest of the performance. The audience is engrossed and humored by Dromio's attempts, and for me, this bit at the beginning endeared him to me. Indeed, Jamie Wilkes' performance throughout was one of the finest of the evening. While all of the cast members were fully committed to their roles and held nothing back, Wilkes' performance had a cleanliness to it which was very refreshing.
Second to his performance was that of Simon Harrison who played Antipholus of Syracuse. Upon entering Ephesus, Antipholus of Syracuse is immediately mistaken for Antipholus of Ephesus and the people of the city treat him with an incredibly warm regard. His supposed 'wife', at first furious at him for missing supper and worried that he may no longer love her, proceeds to kiss him at which time Antipholus of Syracuse can hardly hold back his pleasure at being so welcomed in a foreign city. The mistaken identity leads Antipholus of Syracuse to a lovely supper at 'home' and a beautiful 'sister-in-law' with whom he immediately falls in love. As the play continues, Harrison portrays the perfect combination of boyish giddy alternated with a comical fury every time one of the Dromios does something that he didn't ask for.
Such confusion is the perfect opportunity for Shakespeare to showcase his writing talents, for when it all does come to a head, the back-and-forth between characters makes me laugh just to think of it. And the Globe's open-air amphitheater structure lends itself to audience participation. Standing in the yard amongst hundred of audience members, it felt as though we were truly participating in the performance and it added to the overall enjoyment. The Comedy of Errors at the Globe is one of the most hilarious and purely entertaining shows I have ever seen. I highly recommend it.
RSS Feed
