From top left, Jeff Pierce, Stephen Massott, Patrick Torelle and Achilles Massahos play two sets of twins who were separated at birth in the Willamette Repertory Theatre’s presentation of Shakespeare’s ‘The Comedy of Errors.’
Eugene’s Willamette Repertory Theater breaks new company ground Friday with its first Shakespeare production, “The Comedy of Errors.” The production celebrates not only the company’s first stab at Shakespeare, but what is possibly Shakespeare’s first stab at writing.
The decision to perform the show was made by company founder Kirk Boyd. He explained that it is impossible to confirm the play as Shakespeare’s first because of confusion over the history of Shakespeare’s writing. However, it is certainly one of his early works. Director Dan Kremer pointed to the simple structure of the play as evidence.
“The Comedy of Errors” revolves around two sets of identical twins who are separated at birth. The Antipholus twins are of the merchant class and the Dromio twins are their servants. By chance, the master and servant twins from Syracuse have come to the town of Ephyesus, where the other twins reside. The play then unfolds on the driving forces of coincidence and mistaken identity.
Kremer said the dialogue of the play also suggests Shakespeare’s young writing, with the use of many rhymed couplets. The lyrical game that the lines wind around the audience emphasizes the playful nature of the work.
Independent of the simple language and plot, which is based on a Roman comedy by Plautus, Kremer said the play has the same depth of character as any of Shakespeare’s other works.
Casting characters is always difficult when working with a script containing twin roles. But Boyd had the decision made for him when at a party he realized that he had two actors of identical build. He immediately thought of “The Comedy of Errors,” because the works of Shakespeare are never too far from his mind; Boyd worked with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland for 17 years.
“When I came up here, I swore that I wouldn’t do Shakespeare,” he said. “But I just can’t not do it.”
From the first decision to do the play, the cast was gradually assembled from both local and equity actors. The Willamette Repertory Theater is the only theater company in Eugene that has a contract with Actors Equity, meaning that it is easier for the company to import talent from out of the area to combine with local talent.
“It allows the community to see actors that they know in a venue that raises the bar on quality,” Boyd said.
Two University graduates, Sabrina Bernasconi and Megan Smith, made the quality cut and appear as (respectively) Courtezan/First Merchant and Adriana, Antipholus’ wife.
The cast plays out the script in exotic costumes that are a mesh of modern fashion, with skirts and sports coats, and Arabian dress, with turbans and robes. These choices were Kremer’s attempt to create a fantasy world for the play to live in.
“As soon as you define a time and place, you put into the audience’s mind a certain amount of political and geographical baggage,” he said. “This play isn’t about politics; it is about people’s interactions.”
Sparky Roberts, who plays the Abbess, said that the play has been placed in many different settings, including the deep South and even in a circus clown show. But the ungrounded approach that is taken by this interpretation gives more credit to the play than other devices.
The play runs Jan. 26-27 and Feb. 2-3 and 9-10 at 8 p.m., Feb. 1 and 8 at 7:30 p.m., and Feb. 4 and 11 at 2 p.m. in the Soreng Theater in the Hult Center. Tickets are $12 to $30 and are available by phone at 682-5000.
