Get some Will power with "Comedy of Errors" at Theater in the Round

How do you help audiences understand Shakespeare's English? Any theater company that takes on a classic has to grapple with this question. Theater in the Round, in Minneapolis, navigates this question well in their production of Comedy of Errors, directed by Kari Steinbeck. Comedy of Errors is one of Shakespeare's shortest plays, its run time is ninety minutes.  The plot is that of mistaken identity and self-discovery concerning two sets of twins-the Antipholuses and the Dromios-who are separated by a storm at sea,

Slave Dromio and his master Antipholus travel from Syracuse (a modern-day island of Sicily) to search for their siblings in Ephesus. Both the Antipholus twins and the Dromios dress alike- the Dromios in blue and green overalls respectively and the Antipholus twins in beach shorts and pollo shirts. Dromio are perfect twin duos. In fact, at one point their actions were so similar I thought these two were one of the same.

Its undeniable that the twins, Dromio of Ephesus (Aidan Jhane Gallivan) and Dromio of Syracuse( Autumn Sisson) personalities ground every scene. Their gestures were incredibly helpful in understanding the plot and humor even if I was struggling with the language. The characters movements on stage reflect every wisecrack, pun, or moment when a behavior is being exaggerated. These two are bullied; their ears pulled and prodded, put in headlocks, pushed and pulled offstage. I immediately associated the two of them to be that of Hayley Mills or even modern day Hannah Montana.

When Aegeon, a Syracusan merchant father comes to Ephesus in search of his missing family, he is sentenced to death by the Duke because the law forbids merchants from Syracuse to enter Ephesus. It then becomes necessary for Aegeon to tell his side of the story. This is done with a carousel slide projector that creates the illusion of pictures on stage. Each time the stage lights flash, actors pose statuesque in different freeze frames to depict a flash back of Aegeon’s (John Goodrich) life before he’s taken in handcuffs. Non-stop laughter ensues after each new frame. Aegeon is holding his twins in one frame, and in the next, the whole cast is standing beside him. It is beyond me how the cast moves so fast in the dark given the time allowed for each new frame. By the end of this fantastic scene, the duke is convinced and grants Aegeon one day to pay his fine.

Director Kari Steinbeck makes use of fifties songs like Maybe I Know and That’s the Way Boys Are by Lesley Gore to aid in comic confusion, especially in scenes where characters are behaving badly.


This Shakespearean production is highly agreeable for any audience.