Because of its dependence on the Roman comic stylings of Plautus, William Shakespeare’s “The Comedy of Errors” is the text of choice for those looking to accessorize or sex-up Shakespeare with faux-commedia cavorting and slapstick high jinks. But it’s a rare “Comedy” that touches the heart.
Despite a running time of only about 75 minutes, David H. Bell’s modestly staged, family-oriented, thoroughly likable abridgment for the Chicago Shakespeare Theater actually manages to moisten the eye a tad when the long-separated twins find each other and the servant Dromio of Ephesus stares into the eyes of his long-lost bro’, Dromio of Syracuse.
It rather took me by surprise. Here I am on an insufficiently caffeinated Monday morning, surrounded by high school kids who have just seen no more than half of the play that Shakespeare wrote. Everything is toddling along predictably enough. But when the two sets of twins finally see each other for the first time, the show suddenly hums with a palpably intense emotional oomph.
There are several reasons why this show comes together so well.
To his credit, Bell doesn’t beat himself up trying to appeal to youngsters by having his actors slap each other around (although there is a droll scene using a human battering ram). Nor does he put all his eggs in the visual basket (although there’s sufficient beefcake on display that certain otherwise well-behaved young women from Glenbard South High School couldn’t resist a few judiciously placed whoops).
Bell actually spends most of his time worrying about the emotional truth of the brief shadows he creates. Even in this brief rendering he creates a vivid sense of a world gone awry until kith and kin find each other and drag everything back into some semblance of order. Surprisingly, this actually is one of the more substantial productions of this piece you’ll see–its characters struggle as much as they play.
There are on display some lively, just-out-of-college actors looking to turn a few heads as they make their debut–the best of a mixed but generally decent bunch is a quirky and highly intense young fellow named Blaine Hogan, who plays one of the servants.
All are anchored by the world-weary Michael Andrew Gorman, who doesn’t skimp on the angst in his various roles. Like the rest of this fine little show, Gorman doesn’t dumb down his work for young people. Instead, he beefs up the dramatic stakes. On Monday, the youngsters understood they were being treated with respect, which made them laugh all the more.
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“The Comedy of Errors”
Where: Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Navy Pier
When: Through March 19
Tickets: $15 ($10 students) at 312-595-5600
