Mistaken identity is a common theme in Shakespeare‘s comedies, and it peaks in The Comedy of Errors (aka The One With All The Twins). The story involves two pairs of twins – two masters (both called Antipholus) and two servants (both called Dromio) – who were separated by a shipwreck in childhood. The pairs grow up believing that the others are dead, until all four wind up in the same place.

The Studio Theatre Club have staged a bright and breezy adaptation, set in an anachronistic Ephesus, where toga-clad citizens use 80s-style mobile phones and instamatic cameras, and the drunken remnants of a hen weekend giggle their way through the streets. Things start slowly, however, as the play is burdened with an opening scene consisting entirely of long and detailed exposition. Not only are the twins‘ origins explained, but also a sub-plot involving the father of the Antipholuses (Antipholi?), who is under sentence of death. The cast struggle gamely with the back-story, but not even the addition of a charming puppet family and model boats can really lift it.

The play hits its stride when the second set of twins arrives in town, with strong performances from Brian Macken and Jamie Crowther as the Antipholuses (Antipholodes?), and Rhona Wells and Elena Wright as the Dromios. They are well supported by the other principals, particularly Sarah Piper as the increasingly baffled wife of one of the Antipholuses (Antiphola?), and Holly Bathie as her sister Luciana. The scene in which Luciana rebuffs the advances of the Antipholus she believes to be her sister‘s husband is the highlight of the show.

All in all, this is a wonderfully entertaining production of a light and frothy comedy. Why not escape from the grey English winter to a Greek summer evening of confusion, chaos and fun?