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The Comedy of Errors

  • February 20 - November 2, 2014
  • By William Shakespeare | Directed by Kent Gash
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Run Time:About one hour and 35 minutes, with no intermission.

Double double trouble

Antipholus and his servant, Dromio, go looking for family they lost years ago. Traveling from the rural South, they journey to the big city and find themselves in the heart of the Harlem Renaissance. And surprise! Suddenly there are two identical Antipholi and two identical Dromios, which has everybody in town (including significant others) seeing double. To make matters worse, another family member is about to be executed for breaking local law. Laughs fly as the clock ticks in Shakespeare’s farce about the craziest family reunion ever.

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The Story

Years ago, the merchant Egeon was sailing with his wife, twin sons and twin servants when a shipwreck divided his family. He, along with one twin son and one servant, was rescued by a passing ship; a separate ship saved his wife and the other twin son and servant. Egeon and his one son and servant settled in Syracuse.

Now an adult, Egeon’s son Antipholus of Syracuse (hereafter Antipholus S.) sets out with his servant Dromio (hereafter Dromio S.) to find their lost brothers. When they fail to return, Egeon began to search for them, his other son and servant and his wife. His search brings him to Ephesus, a town traditionally hostile to Syracuse. Each town has decreed death to any citizen from the rival precinct. Egeon is discovered, and Duke Solinus sentences him to death. Egeon accepts his impending death as a means to end his grief and misery. Hearing this, Solinus extends a one-day stay of execution to allow Egeon to raise bail money to save himself.

Antipholus S. and Dromio S. arrive in Ephesus on the same day as Egeon, and the master sends his servant to put away some money for safekeeping at their inn. Shortly, Dromio of Ephesus (hereafter Dromio E.) runs into the visiting Antipholus. Thinking him his master, he urges him to return home posthaste for dinner. Antipholus S. asks Dromio E. if the money is safe. Confused, the servant denies knowledge of any money, and gets beaten for his pains.

Waiting, as always, for her husband, Antipholus of Ephesus (hereafter Antipholus E.), Adriana and her sister Luciana discuss the plight of married women. Adriana’s servant Dromio E. interrupts and recounts his strange encounter with the man he thinks is his master. Adriana sets out to fetch her husband and encounters the visiting Antipholus and Dromio and brings them home. When the local Antipholus and Dromio arrive home, they find themselves locked out. Enraged, Antipholus E. goes to a Courtesan and promises her the gold chain he’d intended for his wife.

Episodes of mistaken identity continue, following a pattern: The visiting Antipholus receives good fortune while the local Antipholus experiences such misfortune that he feels like a foreigner in his own community.

Antipholus S. courts Luciana, who rejects his advances because she believed he is her sister’s husband. Antipholus E. is arrested for refusing to pay for the gold chain that was mistakenly delivered to his twin brother earlier that day. The Courtesan demands Antipholus S. give her the promised chain. Convinced the town is filled with witchcraft (as is Ephesus' reputation), he and Dromio S. try to escape. They find sanctuary in a nearby priory with the Abbess.

Meanwhile, Adriana, Luciana and the Courtesan hire Dr. Pinch to cure Antipholus and Dromio E. of what they perceive as madness, and the doctor takes the pair away. But they escape and meet their household outside the priory. Duke Solinus enters with Egeon on his way to be executed, and the Abbess appears with Antipholus and Dromio S. The family reunion is completed, which includes a revelation that Egeon’s wife is the Abbess. Solinus pardons Egeon.


e-Luminations

Stock Characters

The figures in The Comedy of Errors derive from stock characters that originated in Roman comedies and found their greatest expression in Italian commedia dell’arte. Based on fixed social types, many evolved into the favorite archetypal characters of European drama in the 17th and 18th centuries. Here are some of the most popular:

Pantalone is a lecherous, miserly old Venetian merchant. He is most often portrayed as rich and retired. Sometimes he is poor, sometimes a father, other times a bachelor. (Egeon)

Arlecchino, or Harlequin, was the most popular of the comic servants. He is at once witty, insolent, mocking, inept, clownish and emphatically ribald. (The Dromios)

The Inamorato and Inamorata went by many names and had no recognizable traits other than being in love. Typically, they are rational beings under ordinary circumstances; however, being in love thrusts them into states of absurdity marked by jealously, fickleness, vanity, selfishness, self-obsession and excessive passion. (Luciana and Antipholus of Syracuse)

Columbina is servant to the Inamorata and the beloved of Harlequin. She is self-sufficient and possesses a keen and active wit. (Luce and Nell)

Dottore (the doctor) presents himself as a learned man who specializes in everything. At his core, he is pompous and fraudulent. According to Pierre Louis Duchartre in The Italian Comedy, “There is no record in history of any case that Dottore has ever cured.” (Doctor Pinch)

La Ruffiana is often represented as an older woman who is either a current or former prostitute, a mother or a village gossip. On occasion, she has been called a witch. (Courtesan)

An edited version reprinted from OSF’s 2014 Illuminations, a 64-page guide to the season’s plays. For more information, or to buy the full Illuminationsclick here. Members at the Patron level and above and teachers who bring a school groups to OSF receive a free copy of Illuminations.

Creative Team

Director
Kent Gash
Scenic Designer
Jo Winiarski
Costume Designer
Kara Harmon
Lighting Designer
Dawn Chiang
Sound Designer
Composer/Sound Designer
Justin Ellington
Video/Projections Designer
Shawn Duan
Choreographer
Byron Easley
Dramaturg
Martine Kei Green-Rogers
Voice and Text Director
Dawn-Elin Fraser
Fight Director
U. Jonathan Toppo*

Cast

Dromio of Louisiana/Harlem
Rodney Gardiner*
Antipholos of Louisiana/Harlem
Tobie Windham*
Adriana
Omoze Idehenre*
Luciana
Monique Robinson
Egeon (2/20-8/8)
Jerome Preston Bates*
Egeon (8/9-11/2)
Tyrone Wilson*
Duke Solinus
R. J. Foster*
Courtesan/Ens.
Bakesta King*
Dr. Pinch/Luce/Nell/Ens (2/20-9/14)
Mildred Ruiz-Sapp*
Dr. Pinch/Luce/Nell/Ens. (9/16-11/2)
Yadira Correa**
Angelo/Drummer/Ens.
Ramiz Monsef*
Emilia/Ens. (2/20-10/12)
Franchelle Stewart Dorn*
Emilia/Ens. (10/15-11/2)
Greta Oglesby*
Balthazar/Police/Ens. (2/20-9/14)
Steven Sapp*
Balthazar/Police/Ens. (9/16-11/2)
Cedric Lamar*
Jailer/Police/Ens.
Mark Murphey*
1st Merchant/2nd Merchant
Keith Leroyal
* Member of Actors' Equity Association (AEA)
**AEA Professional Theatre Intern
  • Comedy image

    Trailer: The Comedy of Errors

    Catch the spirit of this production that crackles with cleverness and fun.

  • behind the scenes image

    Snapshot: Lifts & Lids in Rep

    Automation Supervisor James N. Dean, Jr. reveals what lies below the deck of the set.

  • comedy image

    Stage Notes: The Comedy of Errors

    Assistant Director Nicholas Avila shares more insights about the play and the production. Excerpted from the Informed Volunteer Program.

  • Gash image

    The Play

    Director Kent Gash talks about Shakespeare's play and why he wanted to direct it.

  • Gash image

    The Production

    In this part of the interview, Director Gash talks about why he chose to set the play in the Harlem Renaissance.

  • Mail Tribune logo

    Meticulously Performed

    "...this riotous, joyous, madcap celebration."
    Click the logo to read the complete review.

  • REgister Guard logo

    Magnificent staging!

    "...unusually clear, fast-moving and coherent..."
    Click the logo to read the complete review.