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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center"
align=center><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
size=3>No errors made with Shakespeare’s <I
style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Comedy</I><?xml:namespace prefix = o ns =
"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center"
align=center><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><o:p><FONT
size=3> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center"
align=center><SPAN
style="COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><FONT size=3>Bob
Abelman<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center"
align=center><I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"><SPAN
style="COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><FONT
size=3>News-Herald, Chagrin Valley Times, Solon Times, Geauga Times
Courier<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></I></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center"
align=center><SPAN
style="COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><FONT size=3>Member,
International Association of Theatre Critics <o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center"
align=center><I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><o:p><FONT
size=3> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></I></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center"
align=center><SPAN
style="COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><FONT size=3>This
review appeared in the <I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">News-Herald
</I>4/10/09</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT face=Calibri
size=3> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
size=3>Anyone attending a modern-day production of a William Shakespeare comedy
has to wonder what it was like to be in attendance when that play was originally
staged and first encountered by audiences.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><o:p><FONT
size=3> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
size=3>For the raucous Renaissance crowd at the Globe Theater in 1590s London,
the Elizabethan language that is so foreign to us was familiar to the ear,
allowing all of Shakespeare’s clever wordplay and brilliant poetry to be
immediately accessible.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>His
storylines were fresh, their morals were relevant, and his characters were
instantaneously recognizable. <SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Bright costumes and the infusion of
then-contemporary music and dance made for a wildly spectacular and marvelously
festive mid-afternoon’s entertainment. <SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><o:p><FONT
size=3> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
size=3><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>“Accessible,” “fresh” and
“wildly spectacular” also describe the Great Lakes Theater Festival’s rendition
of <I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">The Comedy of Errors</I>, currently on
stage at the Hanna Theatre.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN><o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><o:p><FONT
size=3> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
size=3>Believed to be one of Shakespeare’s earliest plays, <I
style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">The Comedy of Errors</I> is about twin
brothers, both named Antipholus, and their twin servants, both named Dromios,
who are separated by shipwreck at a very early age.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>One brother and his servant end up in
the city of Ephesus and the other pair end up in Syracuse.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Now adults, the brothers unite during a
chance visit to Ephesus, but only after a series of hilarious mishaps ensue due
to mistaken identity involving all four men. This is a very funny play, filled
with wonderful verbal sparring and loads of physical
comedy.<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><o:p><FONT
size=3> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
size=3>Under the superb direction of the GLTG’s Charles Fee, all the humor is
brought to the forefront by an extremely talented troupe.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The assembled cast speaks the Bard’s
dialogue with amazing ease and fluidity.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>Its rhythm and meaning are beautifully replicated, rendering this play
immediately comprehendible for even the most novice theater-goers.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>It is a pleasure to hear for more
discerning denizens.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN><o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><o:p><FONT
size=3> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
size=3>Fee, the master of manipulating contexts to house Shakespeare’s works,
has elected to transform the city of Ephesus into a sensuous, contemporary Rio
de Janeiro in the midst of a Carnaval celebration. <SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Russell Metheny’s seaside set design
beautifully captures the party atmosphere and set pieces are brought into place
by the ensemble, as was done during Shakespeare’s
time.<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><o:p><FONT
size=3> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Interestingly, the ensemble is comprised
of seven dancers, led by the agile Terence Greene and Jens Lee, who enter and
exit in salsa-saturated and samba-inspired perpetual motion courtesy of
brilliant choreographer </SPAN><STRONG><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold">Martín
Céspedes.</SPAN></STRONG><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">
<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Infused with steamy Brazilian
nightclub music, as well as creative costuming by Charlotte Yetman, this
production is brimming with vitality from the opening moments to the play’s
conclusion.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN><o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><o:p><FONT
size=3> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
size=3>Until the very end of the play, the two sets of twins are never on stage
at the same time. This allows for GLTF staple Andrew May to play both Antipholus
brothers and GLTF neophyte Ian Gould to play both servants.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>They play them brilliantly.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Mays’ well-honed skills and celebrated
showmanship are very much on display in this production.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>He is interesting all the time and
manages to milk every syllable and every scenario for all they are worth.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Likewise, Ian Gould is a remarkable fool
in true Shakespearean fashion.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>Watching him perform in this production is a
treat.<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><o:p><FONT
size=3> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
size=3>There is no shortage of talented performers on this stage, including Lynn
Allison as the wife of Antipholus of Ephesus and Gisela Chipe as her sister
Luciana.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Both are marvelous and
deliver contemporary takes on their characters without losing sight of what
Shakespeare had intended.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Less
featured but certainly not less luminous performances are turned in by GLTG
regulars Aled Davies, David Anthony Smith, Laura Perrotta and Dudley
Swetland.<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><o:p><FONT
size=3> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
size=3>It is hard to imagine a more entertaining performance of this play during
Shakespeare’s time.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>In fact, given
this cast and the variety that the stage-of-the-art Hanna stage provides, it is
easy to imagine that this is the kind of production that Shakespeare would have
done.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT
size=3><SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><FONT size=3>The Comedy of Errors<I
style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"> continues in repertory with Chekhov’s
</I>The Seagull<I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"> through May 3 at
PlayhouseSquare’s Hanna Theatre.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>For tickets, which range from $13 to $67, call 216-241-6000 or visit
<B><A href=""><FONT
color=#000066>www.greatlakestheater.org</FONT></A><o:p></o:p></B></I></FONT></SPAN></P></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>