The Comedy of Errors

Tickets from $0  Buy Tickets

THE COMEDY OF ERRORS

Photo: The Public Theater

Cititour.com Review
An actor playing two parts in the same show is nothing unusual, but comic geniuses Hamish Linklater and Jesse Tyler Ferguson take the “doubling” concept to new heights in Daniel Sullivan’s inventive production of William Shakespeare’s aptly-named The Comedy of Errors, the first offering of the Public Theater’s Shakespeare in the Park season at the Delacorte Theatre.

In this frothy 90-minute adaptation of the famed mistaken-identity farce, Linklater plays both the mild-mannered Antipholus of Syracuse and his macho, womanizing twin brother Antipholus of Ephesus, while Ferguson takes on the hats of the men’s twin servants, both named Dromio. Both actors are masterful in differentiating each of the siblings, so the audience is always sure who’s who at every moment.

The same can’t be said of the confused citizens of Ephesus – including Antipholus’ long-suffering wife, Adriana (the deliciously funny Emily Bergl) and her sassy sister Luciana (the excellent Heidi Schreck) – who have no idea that there are actually two pair of identical-looking men running around town. As a result, myriad complications abound, which range from the clever to the inane.

Sullivan, a director noted for handling far more dramatic fare, can’t always keep the comic pace up to complete snuff. But he does provide some particularly funny physical bits for his leading men, such as the nimble Ferguson breathlessly climbing down one of John Lee Beatty’s cardboard-looking houses. Updating the entire enterprise to the 1940s – and making everyone in Syracuse sound like Italian gangsters -- doesn’t really add much to the show, although Mimi Lieber’s period-appropriate choreography (performed by six truly nimble dancers) and Toni Leslie James’ colorful costumes do contribute some welcome visual flair.

As might be expected, the troupe is in uniformly fine form, notably Linklater, who receives a well-deserved mid-show ovation for breathlessly delivering one long expository speech. Moreover, there are small but notable contributions from such expert players as Becky Ann Baker, Skipp Sudduth, Robert Creighton, and De’Adre Aziza. In fact, for much of this “Comedy,” the entire cast seems to be having as much fun as the audience!

By Brian Scott Lipton


Visit the Site
http://www.shakespeareinthepark.org/#!coe/c1qsz

Cast
Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Hamish Linklater, J. Clint Allen, de’Adre Aziza, Becky Ann Baker, Emily Bergl, Keith Eric Chapelle, Robert Creighton, Reggie Gowland, Jonathan Hadary, Bryan Langlitz, Heidi Schreck, Skipp Sudduth, Jessica Wu, Tyler Caffall, Reed Campbell, Brian T. Lawton, Michael McArthur, Rachel McMullin, Natalie Woolams-Torres, Adrienne Weidert

Open/Close Dates
Opening 5/28/2013
Closing 6/30/2013


Theatre Info
Delacorte Theater
Central Park (81st St & CPW or 79th St & Fifth Av)
New York, NY
Map



Comments

^Top