Stratford Festival in Ontario has been mining the vaults for gems from the past. The latest selection includes this 75-minute-long TV film of a live performance from 1989.
The Comedy of Errors is already the shortest play in the canon, but director Richard Monette has cut it even further for TV to dazzling effect.
At times, the pace is reminiscent of a Whitehall farce crossed with the Keystone Cops, but the integral plot elements remain and Shakespeare’s wit shines throughout, aided by a gigantic but carefully chosen and efficiently drilled cast.
In this case, volume adds much since the key players are supplemented by a large ensemble who fill gaps between scenes with pleasant song and dance utilising upbeat tunes composed by Berthold Carrière.
Although this is one of the Bard’s lesser-known works, the plot will probably seem familiar. It centres on the arrival in Ephesus of a nobleman from Syracuse, Antipholus, and his servant, Dromio, respectively played by Geordie Johnson and Keith Dinicol.
As they try to make their way on strange ground, confusion abounds as they are mistaken for the home team pairing of Antipholus and his servant Dromio, respectively played by Geordie Johnson and Keith Dinicol.
In a madcap series of mistaken identities, Goldie Semple as the resident Antipholus’s wife Adriana and Lucy Peacock playing her sister Luciana innocently but inexcusably invite in the strangers, while the former lady’s husband is arrested after failing to pay for a chain purchased to appease his voluptuous mistress.
The poor old Dromios can do nothing right, beaten from pillar to post for the faults of their masters and failures to comply with simple requests. There is much more to a plot which builds to a highly satisfying conclusion, but these will have already got the gist.
Richard Monette has built this production around the clowning skills of the two central characters, each effortlessly evoking laughter from the enthusiastic audience.
In sum, this is a laugh-a-minute spectacle that would fully justify the modest cost of a monthly Stratford subscription on its own, which is a great start when it is part of an offering that includes a dozen Shakespeares and as many contemporary plays plus interviews and other theatrical delights with much more to come.
This video is available on the newly revamped and relaunched Stratfest@home web site. The library is expanded and the pricing reduced to £6.44 per month or £64.47 per annum. It is a great treasure trove that will give fans of high-quality theatre hours of pleasure.