The Comedy of Errors At Belgrade Theatre, Coventry Review

Reviewed by Julie Hayward

Tonight was my first long awaited return to the theatre, now that some of the restrictions have been lifted. The Belgrade Theatre in Coventry has opened its doors once again to welcome theatre goers. At its entrance there is a brand new café and bar which looked fresh and inviting, the foyer has sumptuous new carpets with comfy seating and all the rails are sparklingly clean. We were here to see Oddsocks Production Company perform their adaptation of the Shakespeare play, The Comedy of Errors.

The performance was taking place on the smaller B2 Stage, we were seated in the balcony.  Although this is a more intimate venue it still felt spacious and airy. This was probably helped by the social distancing which the Belgrade strictly adhered to. As the audience were taking their seats the five actors came on to the stage to greet the audience informally before the performance began, giving us a warm welcome and a real sense that they too were glad to be back on stage.

The cast introduced each other.  Andy Barrow would be playing Dromio of Syrasuse and Dromio of Ephesus, a set of identical twins who have the same name, Elli Mackenzie who is playing Antiphoni of Syracuse and Antphoni of Ephesus also a set of identical twins, with the same name! Joseph Maudsley is playing Antphoni’s husband, Harrie Dobbie and Jack Herauville are playing multiple roles, with Jack also playing various instruments’ to accompany the musical interludes.

We were then transported to a Shakespearean world in a far off land, where foreigners were expected to pay a levy to stay and if they could not pay they were executed. And so the show began with a costume change the actors were now very much in character, a judge, an executioner and an elderly man, whose fete lay in his ability to pay. The other two actors then humorously told the backstory of how he was searching for his now grown children who had been separated during a shipwreck as babies.

The storytelling, although in Shakespearean dialect, had unfamiliar names for both the characters and the places, was easily followed because of the clever use of props and effects. The physical humour and witty characterisation bought the complicated story to life making it accessible to all audiences.

The acts were interspersed with lively musical interludes, in the form of sea-shanties, the cast were led in song by guitar, ukulele and a wind up music box. The explosion of song, where each members voice was distinct and powerful left the audience toe tapping in enjoyment and much applause.

The farce continues with a mix up of identities, due to the identical twins lives entwining but never meeting. Mostly the slapstick is appropriate within the story, at one stage it went a little over the top (editor’s note – this is the reviewer’s opinion) but not enough to spoil my enjoyment and I expect a younger audience would love it! There is also a little light-hearted audience participation.

Overall the effects were clever and the actors’ timing of the physical comedy was spot on and the simple staging was believable in taking us from one scene to another.

You absolutely got the feeling that this modern day performance was not dissimilar to the travelling companies of actors who would put on performances around the country in Shakespeare’s day, the story and humour could be enjoyed, as much as, I am sure it was then.

I’m not overly familiar with Shakespeare and not usually a fan of slap-stick but I came away feeling happy from a memorable performance, which was delivered with warmth, humour and light hearted fun.

Rating: 5/5

Tickets priced at from £8.50
The Comedy of Errors is at the Belgrade Theatre in Coventry from 14th to 17th June 2021.
for more information or to book tickets visit www.belgrade.co.uk or call the box office 02476553055

Belgrade Theatre, Belgrade Square, Corporation Street, Coventry, CV1 1GS