The Comedy of Errors review

Bursting with exuberant energy, this frenetic version of Shakespeare’s most contrived comedy is accessible, often uproarious and unapologetically shallow. Helmed by Globe associate artistic director Sean Holmes, the production rattles through the twisty plot at a breakneck pace, relying on momentum and slapstick set pieces to carry the audience along.

Early on, a boisterous fight scene breaks out between Ephesian citizens, and though it’s deftly choreographed and undeniably rousing, it feels out of place, a fun spectacle that’s ultimately irrelevant to the plot.

Characterisation is kept to a minimum, with Holmes opting instead to set a flippant, cartoonish tone. Scenes that can often feel sharply uncomfortable for contemporary audiences – the frequent physical abuse meted out to servants, or Dromio’s body-shaming diatribe aimed at kitchen porter Luce – are handled here with such a light touch that they lose much of their sting.

Designer Paul Wills depicts the mercantile city of Ephesus as a ramshackle dockyard, cladding the Globe’s walls in rough wooden planks and extending the stage with a rickety jetty jutting into the yard. Swinging signs hang from the galleries, advertising the various businesses mentioned in the text, while a ship’s mast is thrust out over the audience. Adding a more sinister note to the decor, helmets impaled on rusty spikes are dotted around the auditorium, suggesting the abrupt violence that passes for justice in a state where outsiders are automatically condemned and pardons can be bought with gold.

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