“The Comedy Of Errors” by Royal Shakespeare Company

Nottingham Theatre Royal.

This is the first time that I have seen this particular Shakespeare play. I was due to see it in Stratford upon Avon two years ago and then Covid put a stop to that.

Set in the Greek city of Ephesus, "The Comedy of Errors" tells the story of two sets of identical twins who were accidentally separated at birth. Antipholus of Syracuse and his servant, Dromio of Syracuse, arrive in Ephesus, which turns out to be the home of their twin brothers, Antipholus of Ephesus and his servant, Dromio of Ephesus.

When the Syracusans encounter the friends and families of their twins, a series of wild mishaps based on mistaken identities lead to wrongful beatings, a near-seduction, the arrest of Antipholus of Ephesus, and false accusations of infidelity, theft, madness, and demonic possession.

There are echoes of "The Tempest" and "A MIdsummer Night's Dream" to be seen within this play. Like "The Tempest" the action is set within a 24 hour period and like "A MIdsummer Night's Dream" there are couplets who fall in love with others who are not quite who they think they are, and then at the end everything is revealed.

The action is set firmly in the 1980’s and is presented as a farce, but then Shakespeare wrote the play as such, so that should come as no surprise.

What did come as a surprise to some people around me was the modern setting and approach and attitude of the characters. I love adaptations of The Bard's work as well as the "down the line" presentations. Why? Because Shakespeare's works can be adapted and maintain the comedy, the farce etc because the subjects that he wrote about will always be relevant and entertaining.

A couple of the characters were seen with face masks and sanitisers, giving an even further nod to present day issues, and added to the comic element.

Shakespeare was a great comic, and if he were alive today I am sure that he would be writing some great sitcoms for some of the best comedy talents. This production gave a nod to some fine comedians like Rik Mayall, John Cleese and Russell Brand with three of the characters' physicality.

There is even a short section that could be mistaken for a Shakespearean Glee club performance, complete with mic drop.

This is Shakespeare slapstick, at times reminiscent of Laurel & Hardy with its' stagecraft and timing.

Director Phillip Breen extracts every morsel of comedy from Shakespeare's lines to maximum effect. If anyone who didn't love Shakespeare came to see this as an introduction to the man's works, I am positive that their opinion would be turned around after seeing this production.

Designer Max Jones's set is spacious and well thought out to give several entrance and exit points, the hallmark for any great farce.

In this adaptation there are musical interludes which are used to great effect when there are scene changes. Think Pentatonix, Swingle or King Singers and that is the vibe here.

Every single member of the cast were excellent, and I am not going to name them or pick any of the cast out as they presented as a team and that is how this cast should be acclaimed.

Brilliant costumes, great set, an inspired set of props, all add up to a wonderful visual experience.

One of Shakespeare's best comedies presented by an incredible team of actors.

“The Comedy Of Errors” is at the Nottingham Theatre Royal until Sunday 24 October.