Feeling:
Listening to:
Reading/Watching:

With Shakespeare, it's not just the play that's the thing; it's also the words. Deliver them too quickly or mumble them and a great deal of the Bard's cleverness is lost, not to mention the gist of the tale he is trying to tell. That is especially true if the play is "A Comedy of Errors," one of Shakespeare's silliest, most improbable and most confusing works.

Thanks to director Mellissa ..., Those dotty thingys mean a last name has been deleted- stalkers are bad, mkay? Shoestring Shakespeare's production of the play at "St. Moo" Sorry, I just love the nickname... has all manner of entertaining pluses--brisk staging, generally secure acting, lots of comic punch--but clarity of its verse often falls, alas, on the minus side.Hmph. Not MY minus side.

Thumbnailing the plot is a challenge; suffice it to say that it involves two sets of identical twins, separated at birth, who grew up in Ephesus and Syracuse, respectively.

One pair, sons of a merchant, are both named Antipholus (Louie ... and Scott ...), Scott was the boy-of-Antipholus-fascination... but not any more. while the other twins, each called Dromio (plum comic roles given panache by Tom ... and Chris ...), Tom is so CUTE! are manservants to the Antipholuses.

Further complications involve the old merchant Egeon (Bruce ...), who is in Ephesus in search of his sons, not to mention assorted women troubles with the wife and sister-in-law (well drawn by Amalia ... and Xochitl ...) ::chants:: Go A-my, go Zo-chee, it's your birthday... of the Ephesian Antipholus. As if that weren't enough, the Abbess Emilia (the excellent Alicia ...) Yay for Lisha! She rocks! appears at the end, revealing herself as the long-lost wife of Egeon and mother of their sons.

Many in the cast are students, most notably the voluptuous courtesan (Katherine ...) (Eeee! That's meeee!) and the bearded, pillow-bellied goldsmith (Becca ...). Hee, and don't she just love that pillow-belly, too...

Kudos to Laurie ... for her handsome costumes, complete with period lacings, faced scallops No idea what those are, tied-on sleeves, and reversed fabric shirts helping us keep track of the Antipholuses. (well, we like to call them ANTIPHOLI)

It's all impossibly foolish, but not the fault of Shakespeare, who based the farce on an ancient Greek play. Further performances are sure to improve textual clarity. ouch.

The comedy will never make sense, but it will be far easier to comprehend. Ouch ouch.

We got reviewwwwwwwwed! And I'm so happy!! It's wonderful!!!

They think I'm voluptuous!!!!

Comments? 0 so far...
Not a Diaryland member? Sign the Guestbook.