Maximum comedy, minimum errors
Bard takes it over the top
by Christopher Key
There were times during the recent production of The Boys from Syracuse, based on Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors, when I wondered if we weren’t taking it too far over the top. I needn’t have worried. Bard on the Beach’s version of Comedy matched the Bellingham Theatre Guild production pratfall for pratfall, anachronism for anachronism and pop culture reference for pop culture reference. Boldly taking Shakespeare where no one has taken Shakespeare before requires a rather large codpiece and Bard’s got it. Got them. And they’re brass.
Appropriately enough, Bard Artistic Director Christopher Gaze set the tone by appearing in outlandish Elizabethan drag. He had the audience howling and got a round of applause before he ever said a word. For that, he can thank costume designer Mara Gottler who obviously had a field day with this production.
Bard veteran David Mackay directs this romp with tongue firmly planted in cheek and doesn’t miss a chance to exploit Shakespeare’s gift for bawdy humor. He sets the show in Elizabethan London rather than ancient Greece, complete with gap-toothed beggars and rats-on-a-stick. Don’t ask. You won’t believe what can emerge from exaggerated codpieces.
Those pop culture references range from Star Trek to Twilight Zone to The Doors. Kudos to Sound Designer Murray Price whose transformation of “Light My Fire” into a Gregorian chant is masterful. The technical wizardry in this show almost steals the show from the actors. They steal it right back.
The Dromio twins should own this show if cast correctly. Shawn Macdonald and Ryan Beil are up to the job and it doesn’t hurt that they both manage to channel Monty Python icon Eric Idle. Good choice.
Bob Frazer could probably portray Oprah Winfrey and make me believe it. He and Bard newcomer Kevin MacDonald play the Antipholus twins to perfection and provide a convincing argument that superb actors can portray twins even when they don’t look that much alike.
When I reviewed Othello a couple of weeks ago, I spotted Colleen Wheeler in the audience and it was obvious that she has a bun in the oven. She and director Mackay use that circumstance to great effect in her role as Adrianna and, as usual, Wheeler owns the stage. I don’t mind admitting that I think Jennifer Lines is one of Bard’s major assets. She plays Luciana with the sensitivity and verve that I have come to expect from her.
Jennifer Lines and Colleen Wheeler portray Luciana and Adrianna in the Bard on the Beach production of The Comedy of Errors.
The supporting actors are vital to this show and their superb performances are what make Bard on the Beach such a world-class treasure. One of them, Amber Lewis, as the Courtesan, not only gave a riveting performance, but flirted with me on the way up the aisle. Did she know I was a reviewer or does she just have phenomenal instincts? Way to go, Amber. It got you into the review.
The Comedy of Errors plays through September 26 at Bard on the Beach, Vanier Park, Vancouver, BC. Tickets are $18 – $34 and reservations are mandatory. Call 604-739-0559 or Toll Free (North America): 1-877-739-0559. For more information, go to http://www.bardonthebeach.org/.
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