Sunday, June 21, 2009

What is what? Who is who?


What’s this?

A new form of interior design?
An ad for a shutter company?
Another new restaurant (with patio seating)?




It’s the set for The Comedy of Errors, which we saw tonight at the Idaho Shakespeare Festival.

The play revolves around two sets of identical twins who were separated at birth due to a shipwreck. In one set, both were named Antipholus, and the other set, both were named Dromio. In both cases, Dromio is the servant to Antipholus. Confusion reigns when one Antipholus-Dromio pair comes to the city where the other pair lives, and neither pair knows the other is there.

A brilliant move by director Charles Fee was to set the play in a Rio de Janeiro/Carnival atmosphere, complete with Carnival and Brazilian music, partying, dancing, bright costumes -- and masks. With masks, who knows who is who? A delicious way of playing with identity, reality, fantasy, and sanity.

Perfect for a Sunday night...


There’s none but witches do inhabit here,
And therefore ’tis high time that I were hence…

~ Antipholus of Syracuse, The Comedy of Errors, William Shakespeare

Methinks you are my glass, and not my brother.
I see by you I am a sweet-faced youth…

~Dromio, The Comedy of Errors, William Shakespeare

2 comments:

Katie said...

What fun! I really thought you were at a salvage yard that sold doors from the first photo, and was happily surprised to see you were at Comedy of Errors! Sounds like you had a wonderful time. I agree, great way to spend a Sunday night.

Ms M said...

Thanks Katie :>) It was fun to do the post, and great fun to see the play.