FOUR STARS

 

A young and ebullient cast drawn from the Oxford University Dramatic Society make the most of the fun to be had in one of Shakespeare’s jolliest plays, The Comedy of Errors. Launching their annual touring production at the University Church of St Mary’s, the central area of this huge medieval edifice has been transformed into a version of ancient Ephesus that looks more than a little like modern-day Ibiza.

With modern dress and a DJ vibe, this convoluted story of mistaken identity, reuniting two sets of identical twins separated as babies, unfolds against a lively and colourful society of distinctly eccentric characters.

One set of twins are aristocratic — and curiously have the same name – Antipholus. The other pair are their servants – and they’re both called Dromio. Yes, it’s very contrived but we buy it because it allows Shakespeare to set up a lot of funny misunderstandings, particularly with Antipholus of Ephesus’s wife! The Dromio twins, Sam Plumb and Harley Viveash, almost steal the show but other members of the cast also shine. David Shields and Artemas Froushan are consistently good as the Antipholus brothers, while Zoe Bullock was a very interesting courtesan — uncannily like a young Barbara Windsor.

Though spacious, this venue has a serious drawback — the acoustics are very echoey, making it difficult to hear the dialogue clearly in the gallery seats. I am sure the cast will overcome this when they are used to the space and project their voices rather than shout excitedly. The auditory problem obviously does not affect the visual humour in the show, and lots of sight gags, miming, and comedy scene changes keep the show moving merrily along. The humour is very broadly played and they have made a decision to give even the relatively straight characters (the Abbess, Antipholus’s father Egeon, the Duke) funny skits.

Though this isn’t the subtlest production of the play I have ever seen, it runs at a nippy two hours and keeps the fun coming thick and fast, delighting the audience.

Until Saturday.

Tickets: http://www.oxfordplayhouse.com/ticketsoxford/index.aspx#event=18116