We don’t tend to do too much
on impulse but I saw a tweet praising Red Rose Chain’s Theatre in The Forest
the other day and went straight online, checked the weather forecast and booked
tickets for Shakespeare’s The Comedy Of Errors. And less than forty-eight hours
later we were at Jimmy’s Farm just outside Ipswich enjoying a lovely
pre-theatre dinner before heading into the woods for the al fresco play.
What a delight it was to see
Shakespeare staged in such an authentic way. With the action set in a Cuban bar
and a musical score that included Rock The Boat, We Are Family and
Latino dance numbers you may question that last statement but, with plenty of
crowd interaction, cast members taking on more than one role, girls as men and men
as girls this was Shakespeare as the Bard intended.
I’ve often been to a
Shakespeare “comedy” and questioned the validity of that word but Red Rose
Chain made The Comedy Of Errors exactly what it said on the tin. There was
no questioning the comedy classification this time with the audience regularly
in fits of laughter as the cast threw everything into the production presenting
us with slapstick and farce as well as making Shakespeare’s jokes, for once,
funny.
I won’t single out any of
the cast, as all were outstanding. The words were delivered clearly and,
despite an extremely convoluted plot about twins, it was extremely easy to
understand and to enjoy everything that was going on.
We’ve seen scores of Shakespeare
plays in the last fifty years. Many of these were at the RSC but I can honestly
say that few equalled this performance for entertainment value. Five stars for
a super evening. It’s on for a few weeks, book your tickets now.
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