The Comedy of Errors
The Hawth Ampitheatre
Wednesday 1st July
For some brits the warmer weather and lighter evening signals the beginning of BBQ season, or a major sporting tournament. As an avid theatre fan, for me it signifies the beginning of the open-air season. So, it was a welcome return on a warm Wednesday evening to the Hawth Amphitheatre to attend the Festival Players production of William Shakespeare’s ‘The Comedy of Errors.’
Estimated at having been penned by The Bard between 1592 and 1594, the play is known as being his first comedy. This production was an evening of frantically, fun theatricalfestivities! With the roles being portrayed by an all-male 5-member cast. There were a great number of costume changes afoot and characters being represented in a great number of creative ways. Including by hovering cloaks when both Antipholus’ (Ray Murphy) and Dromios (Ross Samuel) were on the stage.
Both Acts were opened with a fun interaction with a man with a whistle for a voice (Christopher Commander). He expertly regaled the audience with a variety of inanimate objects including suitcases of varying sizes and some juggling balls, which warmed everyone up for the journey the play takes you on. For those unfamiliar with the plot, The Comedy of Errors is a story set in Ephesus, of two sets of twins (one master and one servant) who were separated as children who are now seeking their counterparts. But due to fact that both twins have the same name as one another, a great deal of confusion ensues along the way in a repeating case of mistaken identity. Leading to seemingly broken promises, unexpected gifts as well as a woman Antipholus has never met before claiming to be his wife!
I really enjoyed the way in which the company played the venue, the cast were able to utilise the small outdoor stage by leaping off it on a few occasions. There were several scenes in which the actors darted to and fro throughout audience, which kept up the pace, the fun and the interaction throughout the performance. The cast were notably dressed in striking costumes of black and white with both actors portraying the twins with a full black and white side, perfectly denoting the duality of their characters. The scenery and props were simple but utilised well and provided adequate coverage for the many rapid ‘backstage’ changes which took place during the performance.
This adaptation of the play had some musical numbers, accompanied by Mark Spriggs on the guitar, the performers all had strong voices, and the songs were merry and supported the overall warmth and heart of the production. At this venue the performers were unmiked, but the entire company had excellent projection skills as I was able to clearly hear every word, and this added to the authenticity of this being a 16thcentury play. This is a very fast play with a lot of twists and turns a long the way so it’s important to have your wits about you to keep up! But I would really recommend both this production and the Hawth Amphitheatre as a venue, it was a wonderful outdoor evening of entertainment that was thankfully both rain and heatwave free.
The Comedy of Errors is playing at venues across the country until 25th August 2026.
Reviewer Lisa Dawn