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Arts Review

Anything but errors in this rendition of Shakespearean comedy

Jul 10, 2019 | 8:09 AM

The cast of Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan brings a true fever pitch of hilarity in The Bard’s The Comedy of Errors.

The first-rate performance is achieved by a cast clearly enjoying themselves on stage, each steadfast in delivering over the top performances true to their traditional and modern characters.

This rendition sets the play in modern-day Florida at the Phoenix trailer park. It embraces its influence with ample gun-toting, gaudy clothing and subtle but well-timed injections of modernism.

The performance follows a set of identical twins separated at birth. Syracuse’s Antipholus and Dromio arrive in Ephesus, where their unknown twin brothers live. This quickly leads to encounters of wild confusion, wrongful outbursts and an array of incorrect accusations by their family and friends.

Syracuse’s Antipholus and Dromio are plaid by Aaron Hursh and Jenna Berenbaum, while Ephesus’s are taken on by Kenn McLeod and Sarah Bergbusch.

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The Antipholus brothers sport American flag bandanas, blue jeans and camouflage vests while their abused servants — played by females — are made up as men with chin strapped beards, tacky flame covered bowling shirts, blonde, early Justin Bieber styled hair, and differentiated only by an undershirt to allow the audience to tell them apart.

Bergbusch and Berenbaum are exquisite in their execution of equal rapid-fire immature characters, delivering matching high-grade physical and verbal performances, culminating at the end to convey a true sense of being identical twins.

Hursh and McLeod likewise provide ample laughs through the peaks and troughs of emotional encounters and confusion provoked from their mistaken identities. Hursh is more relaxed and accepting of the entire situation while McLeod acts well as the stronger, rougher Antipholus.

From the outset, the setting in Florida fits masterfully with play. Strong costuming heightens the production, kicked off with southern accents and “Make Ephesus Great Again” signage in the opening scene. Next enters beer-can hair curlers on Jacqueline Block’s Adriana and a faith devoted Luciana, played by Kate Herriot.

Both Block and Herriot quickly establish a take-on-the-world relationship and jive perfectly with one another as they bravely navigate the slapstick situations and tomfoolery.

Shoutouts must also go to Dalton Lightfoot for his collected, steadfast portrayal of the goldsmith Angelo and Kent Allen for his role as Aegeon and a minor role as a hilarious, poorly aged officer.

A high degree of audience interaction makes one feel as though they are on stage with the actors — quite literally at times — enhancing the enjoyment of an already gut-busting pun-filled, farcical comedy.

While the show nibbles around the edge of American politics, it is far from political, opting rather to poke fun at our southern neighbours in true Canadian fashion.

All in all, The Comedy of Errors, directed by Joshua Beaudry, is fast-paced good time under the tent along the river for Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan’s 35th season and last in its current state.

This fall, the Staging the Future Campaign will come to fruition. The $4 million project will see the site transition from a temporary annual pop-up to a unique venue bearing permanent landscaping and purpose-built structures alongside a permanent concrete amphitheatre next season.

Shows run from until August 18. Tickets can be purchased from Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan’s box office.

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