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Comedy of Errors, RSC @ Grand, W'ton

This production of Shakespeare's Comedy of Errors was funny and great fun with a near-full house, including a fair share of laughing children enjoying the risqu茅 humour, revelling in a barnstormer to kick off the week-long run from Tuesday November 13 to Saturday November 17, 2007.

The advice is simple: don鈥檛 miss this pre-Christmas cracker that鈥檚 already wowed crowds nationwide during a three month long run that moves to Cardiff, Bath and Norwich after leaving the West Midlands.

One interval comment, heard over an ice-cream midway through the tale of the Antipholus twins, from Ephesus and Syracuse 鈥� separated in a shipwreck thirty years before the drama opens 鈥� summed up the feel-good factor inspired by this outstanding RSC production: 鈥淩arely have I seen an audience having such a good time at a Shakespeare play.鈥�

Thoroughly entertaining

What a tribute this was to the company鈥檚 stage craft: mistaken identities abound involving the Antipholus twins and their servant twins, both called Dromio; there are absurd mishaps, puppets, songs aplenty, and 鈥� something not always present in the bard鈥檚 comedies 鈥� the odd decent gag. Thoroughly entertaining stuff.

Comedy of Errors, RSC @ Grand, W'ton

As you can tell, there鈥檚 very little yours truly could find to complain about.

Nor was it easy to single out individuals from a diverse cast that made it possible, in 2007, to re-create an atmosphere akin to that which the original Medieval minstrels must have engendered back in Shakey鈥檚 day.

Looks easy

Even on a first night, with some cast members struggling from illness, it was almost impossible to find a weak link: the Antipholus twins, Jason and Simon Merrells, clearly grab the headlines 鈥� but to mention them ahead of, say, percussionist Jaynie Maynard or chief female joke maker, Rachael Spence as the larger than life kitchen servant Luce, seems unfair to director Nancy Meckler鈥檚 complete package.

Wind, string and wood based folk music knitted the play together and created a magical-type atmosphere.

The suspended platform at the start of the second half was one example of how a sea-shore, faraway feel was fashioned throughout.

And the tight, professional acting throughout from one of the world's finest dramatic companies simply made everything look very, very easy.

At the risk of repeating myself, do not let them leave the Black Country without seeing this. You have been warned...