01 Sep 2023
Deborah Heath is back at the Roman Theatre Festival for The Pantaloons’ take on the Bard’s classic…
As the Roman Theatre Festival enters its final week there are still plenty of treats in store. I was excited to attend ‘Comedy of Errors’ from visiting company The Pantaloons who were ambitious enough to stage Shakespeare’s most complicated farce with only four actors! This hook aside, here are some facts to explain my excitement:
1. Comedy of Errors is Shakespeare’s shortest play so there was no fear of getting overly wet or cold!
2. It is believed to be his first comedy (circa 159) and the young Bard really went for the farce packing the play full puns, mistaken identities and slapstick opportunities – it’s not his deepest play but it’s very, very funny
3. It is rarely staged, probably because it has not one but two sets of twins – in fact this is the first time I have actually seen it live!
So armed with a blanket and an extra jumper I headed to our Roman Theatre with high expectations.
Although I haven’t seen the Pantaloons at work before, I knew that OVO had selected a high calibre of partners to work with during this year’s festival. I couldn’t wait to see how they would present two sets of twins with their tiny cast – this would require some careful direction, energy and teamwork.
I was delighted to see the four actors already busy as the audience entered, working the crowd with a mix of music and banter. They opened the play itself with some lively songs accompanied by ukulele and guitar but then switched to using their instruments very effectively as background mood music. I applaud their good use of actor musicians here – the music/acting ratio was well balanced by director Steve Purcell.
The Pantaloons say they aim to bring a sense of “play” to classical performance and this they certainly achieved with their fun adaptation of the text. It was largely untouched and when they did step out of character it was for good reason – to engage the audience, whether this be asking for suggestions for a running gag or explaining the action. It was the latter point with which the Pantaloons excelled.
They described the story set up with the use of two bottles and two cans of cola (one red brand, one blue) plus two tubs of Pringles (also one red, one blue) to represent the parents and both sets of twin boys. This colour coding was key to following the play as Neill Jennings changed waistcoat colours to show whether he was playing Antipholus of Ephesus or Syracuse.
Chris Coxon did the same when playing Dromio of Ephesus or Syracuse. It was a really simple but funny way to get the audience’s attention from the outset and keep them onside as the story got more complicated.
The cast used some slick teamwork to change between the characters to the extent that at times you felt that there were an extra two people on stage.
This was no mean feat particularly for Chris Coxon who had only stood into his role the previous week and gave a great performance.
Alex Rivers and Emily Beach played the supporting characters and interacted with the audience in a way that showcased their range of skills. Alex Rivers was equally comfortable playing the ukulele as she was organising the audience (and overhead flying geese) and playing for pathos and laughs. She was a formidable Adriana and the comic back and forth between her and Neill Jennings as her husband Antipholus was well executed.
I loved Emily Beach’s comic portrayal of the Courtesan – a role that she owned both physically and vocally. However, she also gave real depth to Luciana who she played with sympathy and humour.
To conclude, this talented team of four had been expertly directed and clearly trusted each other well enough to pull off some quick changes and potential audience involvement pitfalls. They must have been exhausted by the end of the night by which time they had played 16 roles between then and encouraged three willing audience members to join them onstage for the exciting finale when the four twins meet!
I sincerely hope to see the Pantaloons make a return visit to our festival next year. Their signature blend of comedy, music and improvisation shone in this playful adaptation of a well-loved story.
