The Comedy of Errors
Great Lakes Theater Festival
March 27, 2009
Reviewed by Kelly Ferjutz
Nearly every day we read warnings about identity theft and how to protect ourselves from such an occurrence. This is not a new or recent trend, believe me. Or so you'd think if you'd seen the three performances I saw last week: two operas (Marriage of Figaro and the Barber of Seville) or this even-older play by Will Shakespeare. Each of these scripts rely heavily on borrowed and/or mistaken identity. I'm surprised I know who I am after all this!
Great Lakes Theater Festival conjures a Carnival atmosphere in its Rio-infused production of Shakespeare's
The Comedy of Errors
Of the three, this one was, by a very slight margin, the least successful. The production, directed by Artistic Director Charles Fee, is a bright, colorful romp through Rio de Janeiro at Carnival time. Didn't know that Rio existed during Shakespeare's day? Not to worry. That's a very minor point to consider when you are bathed in warm sunny colors, (thanks to lighting by Rick Martin), happy music (think - Girl from Ipanema and other such joyous bossa nova sounds) and fabulous dancing in and around the words and dramatic action. 
Lynn Allison as Adriana and Aled Davies as Solinus
Martin Céspedes deserves second billing here for his wonderful choreography! Who knew the actors could be so agile and breath-takingly sinuous in their movements? The music added an entire extra element to this joyous production, (just as it did in the 2003 Beatles-influenced Midsummer Night's Dream, to be reprised next season, by the way.) No specific credit is listed for whoever chose the music, but it was all cleverly put together by sound designer Stan Kozak. The costumes of Charlotte Yetman added colorful exuberance and brightness throughout, especially for the 'chorus' (translation: the ladies and gentlemen of the night.) The inventive set by Russell Metheny moves easily from nighttime scenes to domestic ones, and indeed the choreography and dancing involved in these changes add an extra element of delight to the production. 
David Anthony Smith as Angelo, Darius Stubbs as Balthasar and Andrew May as Antipholus
The story itself is fairly simple, for Shakespeare, at least. A man, his wife, their twin sons and twin servants to those sons are shipwrecked. He gets one of each set of twins as does his wife, and they're immediately separated. He never entirely gives up the search, but thirty years or so later, hasn't yet found the missing boys, cleverly named Antipholus (the sons) and Dromio (the servants.)
Luciana (Gisela Chípe) lights up the stage as ensemble members Terrence Green (left) and Jens Lee (right) watch
We know we're in one place with one set of twins right off the bat, but then, in an unusual twist, the other-identical-set appears in that same place. Not simultaneously, of course, and neither set is aware of the existence of the other set. Usually, two actors are engaged for each role, but this production takes the identity crisis one step farther.
Andrew May (as Antipholus, above)
and Ian Gould (as Dromio, below)
Andrew May plays both Antipholus roles and Ian Gould is both Dromios. The difficulty arises because both pairs are identically costumed (other than one scene where May has his trousers slightly rolled up, and as the other character, they're to the floor.) They make no attempt to alter speech patterns either, so one is never quite certain which twin has the stage currently.
May is his usual handsome, debonair, klutzy self, and the stage always seems a tad brighter whenever he's in the middle of it. As the resident Antipholus, his wife Adriana is played as a spit-fire by Lynn Allison. As the guest Antipholus, he falls in love with her dishy younger sister, Luciana, winsomely portrayed by newcomer Gisela Chípe. Gould is fine as the servants, who mostly gets clobbered by someone every time he turns around. 
Luciana, played by Gisela Chípe
There's much ado about an item of jewelry, a chain, commissioned from Angelo, the goldsmith of David Anthony Smith, by one Antipholus, but payment is expected from the other one, creating more than a little confusion as to who actually has the bag of gold coins meant for payment. Laura Perrotta dazzles (in a blond wig yet!) as the scantily-clad Courtezan. 
The Missus (actor Lynn Allison as Adriana) and the mistress (actor Laura Perrotta as the Courtezan)
Because this is a comedy, after all, and there are multitudes of laughs to prove it, all will end happily. The only questionable element is at the end, when the two sets of twins are re-united. At this point, the previously identical twins become totally un-identical. But the music and the dancing is great! The Comedy Of Errors runs in repertory until May 3 with Chekhov's The Seagull, which opens on Friday, April 8, call 216-241-6000 or visit www.greatlakestheater.org Photos by Roger Mastroianni
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