Summer Shakespeare: The Comedy of Errors at Auckland University Quad

Thought to be Shakespeare's earliest comedy, The Comedy of Errors is seldom performed but Summer Shakespeare's imaginative and energetic production demonstrates that the work's neglect is ill-deserved.

Mistaken identity is one of comedy's most enduring staples and The Comedy of Errors delivers it by the truckload. The story traces a bewildering night in which two pairs of hapless twins are so frequently mistaken that both players and audience rapidly loose all sense of who is who.

There are plenty of opportunities for farce, slapstick and various forms of clowning, all of which are seized upon with exuberance. The play also highlights the uncanny quality by which Shakespeare often appears to be addressing issues that cannot have had any currency in Elizabethan England.

As the twins' sense of identity disintegrates and madness threatens, we encounter the peculiarly modern idea that the self is nothing more than a social construction.

By dealing with a little known work, the director is liberated from the constraints that accompany more revered texts and Patrick Graham makes the most of the chance by conjuring up a dreamlike space where Kiwiana meets Monty Python.

The play opens with the strangely normal image of a rugby team decked out in gumboots and, as the moon rises over Government House, things become increasingly surreal. The rugby team bursts into song while practising line-out drills then morphs into a suitably perplexed mob of sheep.

These embellishments are mostly in keeping with the spirit of the original. A chainsaw, a drenching gun and even a passing helicopter are all convincingly integrated with the action. The only false step comes with a gratuitous insertion of Fred Dagg's gumboot song which spoils the moving reunion scene that should have ended the play.

The youthful cast conveyed a feeling of energy and enjoyment though sometimes struggled with the deceptively difficult art of slapstick. Tama Boyle established an enigmatic presence as coach of the rugby chorus and delivered a wonderfully deranged exorcism as Dr Pinch. The standout performance came from James Townshend playing the forlorn father of the twins. His narration of the circumstances that led to his sons' separation is a masterpiece of comic timing, and at every appearance he builds immediate rapport with the audience.

The production offers a rare opportunity to appreciate a little known work. It is outdoor entertainment full of surprises and enchantment.