AISLE SAY San Francisco

THE COMEDY OF ERRORS

by William Shakespeare
Presented by California Shakespeare Theater
Directed by Aaron Posner
Bruns Memorial Amphitheater
100 California Shakespeare Theater Way, Orinda, CA / (510) 548-9666

Reviewed by Judy Richter

"The Comedy of Errors," William Shakespeare's shortest play and one of his earliest, is also one of his funniest, especially in the California Shakespeare Theater production.

This story of two sets of twins separated in infancy results in one hilarious case of mistaken identity after another when they all wind up in the same town as adults. Director Aaron Posner ups the ante by casting one actor to play one pair of twins and one to play the other. Then he uses only five more actors to play everyone else.

The action is set in the ancient Greek city of Ephesus, where Egeon (Ron Campbell), a merchant from Syracuse, comes in search of his son, Antipholus (Adrian Danzig) and his son's servant, Dromio, (Danny Scheie), who in turn are searching for their long-lost brothers, also named Antipholus and Dromio. When the two younger men arrive in Ephesus, they are mistaken for their twins, who have lived there for some time, long enough for Antipholus of Ephesus to be married to Adriana (Nemuna Ceesay).

The resulting confusion leads to plenty of laughs. Scheie is especially hilarious in the scene in which the two Dromios talk to each other supposedly with a closed gate between them. Merely by turning his cap and pivoting a few steps, Scheie becomes one or the other.

In the meantime, Danzig's Antipholus of Syracuse is attracted to Adriana's younger sister, Luciana (Tristan Cunningham), who is torn between her attraction to him and, believing he's her brother-in-law, her loyalty to Adriana. Both prove to be graceful dancers (movement directed by Erika Chong Shuch). Danzig shows considerable physical skills elsewhere, too.

Besides the actors already named, the cast features Patty Gallagher and Liam Vincent, who, like Campbell, create varied characters thanks to their own acting skills and Beaver Bauer's inventive costumes.

Multi-colored shutters with peeling paint along with several levels of wood plank ramps and platforms dominate the set by Nina Ball. Lighting is by David Lee Cuthbert and sound by Andre Pluess.

Before the show starts, the actors mingle with the audience. When they go onto the stage, they make the pre-show announcements that artistic director Jonathan Moscone and managing director Susie Falk usually make on opening nights.

All of this takes place in a dramatic outdoor setting of rolling golden hills and eucalyptus groves, adding up to a highly enjoyable experience.

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