No Mistakes in ERRORS
Nights are earlier and cooler now, but Marin Shakespeare Company has produced a rerun of summer in its final show of the year, A Comedy of Errors. This was the Bard’s first comedy. When he presented it at Gray’s Inn in 1594, he was only thirty and the father of three – Susannna, Hamnet, and Judith. Hamnet and Judith were twins, and twins were the inspiration for Comedy. The story goes like this:
Egeon, the Syracusan, arrives in Ephesus to search for his long-missing identical sons and their identical servants, whom he had raised from childhood. They and Egeon’s wife had been separated in a shipwreck seven years before, as all six clung to a mast, which then broke upon a rock. However, Syracusans are not allowed in Ephesus, so the sympathetic Duke has to sentence Egeon to death unless he can come up with a ransom.
Before all this, one of the sons had taken the name of his missing brother, Antipholus, and his servant likewise took the name of his missing brother, Dromio; therefore, there are two identical Antipholi and two identical Dromii. One Antipholus is married and settled down right here in Ephesus; the other has just arrived, still searching for his lost brother.
Therefore, when the married Antipholus’ wife, Adriana, sees the newly-arrived twin and insists that her “husband” come in to dinner this minute, he accepts the invitation, leaving the rightful householder to pound on the locked door and plot a payback for his wife. And when the goldsmith demands payment from one brother for a gold chain that had been ordered for the wife, but delivered to the wrong brother, the apparent debtor is jailed until he comes up with the payment. Additionally, when the unmarried twin hits on his non-sister-in-law,she not only rejects him (reluctantly,) she snitches to his non-wife. With each misunderstanding, one or another Dromio gets a thrashing.
Only Shakespeare could come up with a plot like this; only James Dunn could fashion it into a delightful piece of theatre.
Dunn’s direction is a solid fit for both the play and the space. Look at the director’s additions: the Duke’s unfurling toga; Egeon’s disguises, as he attempts to evade capture by the legionnaires; the assortment of choreographed “bits;” the two Dromios’ athletic flight from the amorous “all grease” kitchen wench; the starchy but affectionate by-play between the sisters. On opening night, the audience – including many children – were smiling when they weren’t laughing out loud.
Comedy’s cast includes many of Marin Shakespeare’s regulars and audience favorites. Jack Powell (most recently MSP’s White Rabbit) plays Egeon, the devoted father. Andrew Fonda Jackson, in multiple roles last summer, is Antipholus I and II. Mary Knoll (the formidable Queen of Hearts and Goneril) is now the baffled wife, Adriana. Jonathan Gonzalez, the Company’s Education Director, plays the put-upon goldsmith, Angelo, while Bruce Viera (Tevye at the Mountain Play) portrays the Officer of the Duke’s guards, and LeAnee Rumbel is the sister-in-law. Stephen Dietz plays the straight-faced unwinding Duke, Maureen O’Donoghue has the small, but critical role of the Abbess, and newcomer Brandon Roberts plays both Dromios with the energy of a wound spring. (Dromio was a special favorite of kids in the audience.)
In all, twenty-six talented persons contributed to this production, which succeeds in spite of its preposterous plot and its immature playwright. A mature director made good entertainment out of it. We get the feeling William and James would have liked each other.
The Comedy of Errors will play at the Forest Meadows Amphitheatre, Dominican University in San Rafael, through September 24. Ticket prices range from $15 to $30, and twins with ID to prove mutual birthdates are admitted two-for-one. Picnics and snacks are welcome, warm clothing for night performances is encouraged. For more information, see the website, http://www.marinshakespeare.org/ or call 499-4488.