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Regional Reviews: St. Louis The Comedy of Errors Also see Richard's review of Fly
Jef Awada directs with charm and wit, as Christopher LaBanca and Mr. Watts as Antipholus of Syracuse and his slave Dromio arrive in Ephesus, where they are constantly confused with another Antipholus and another Dromio, to the near ruination of one marriage, and the likely imprisonment of them both. But, through means I am not at liberty to divulge, the two sets of twins are ultimately reunited, and order is restored. Maggie Conroy is the latter Antipholus' beautiful but marginalized wife Adriana, and Shakespeare gives her plenty of reasons to be exasperated, if you can keep up with the pace of the dialog (which I generally did). Julia Crump is her sister Luciana, wavering and blushing beautifully in a scene where the first Antipholus woos her with great conviction, in between his flights from the law. Andrew Kuhlman is delightful as a goldsmith named Angelo, who is appropriately wounded after he bestows a valuable chain on one of the visitors, and the recipient's twin won't pay him for it. It really is quite simple, boiled down like this—but, like any good comedy, the harrowing confusion in the middle is always the very best part. It all goes by in a flash, of course, but a few points are worth mentioning: Shakespeare may be sharper and funnier here than in any of his works, in outlining an exasperating marriage. Adriana complains about her Antipholus coming and going without ever consulting with her, and in the process she's arrived at a permanent boil. I should feel awful for her, and for women in general, about that. But this particular Adriana seems perfectly capable of taking care of herself. Nikki Lott does nicely, first as the whore and later as the abbess, and Andrew Rea is great as a policeman under siege. And I guess I was so caught up in the overall pace that I was surprised each time one Dromio, or one Antipholus, would disappear, only to be replaced a moment later, from the other side of a fairly large stage, by his twin, though neither Mr. Watts nor Mr. LaBanca ever seems to break much of a sweat in his mad dash. Theater magic. Through October 26, 2013, at the James J. Eagan (Florissant) Civic Center, at Waterford and Parker. For more information visit www.stlshakespeare.org. The Cast Crew Photo: Kim Carlson
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