On 11th June, I was lucky enough to watch Trevelyan College’s Sixth Side Theatre Company’s delightful production of Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors performed in the quad on a wonderfully sunny day, it really was the perfect setting for such a play.

The play got off to an incredible start with Laura Turnball as Duke Solinus and Beau Singleton as Egeon, who set my expectations high for the rest of the performance. Both individuals spoke with such confidence and conviction, showing their excellent understanding of Shakespeare. During this scene, we are introduced to the main characters of the story, who stood in front of the other actors, looking out beyond the audience (Ellie Kinch, Elias Rosen, Tom Oakes, Primavera Jones and Rose Ormond). This blocking by director Josh Brooks and assistant director Abi Barker was clever and powerful, and all the actors spoke so much into the upcoming madness of the play, without saying a word.

I will say, with the play being set outside, the absence of mics and the occasional obscuring gust of wind did mean a few lines were lost, but many of the actors handled this very well and maintained their projection.

Both individuals spoke with such confidence and conviction, showing their excellent understanding of Shakespeare

After the comparably calm, clarificatory first scene, we are immediately catapulted into the hilarious dynamic duo of Antipholus of Syracuse (Tom Oakes) and Dromio of Syracuse (Primavera Jones). These two were non-stop bouncing off each other in perfectly complementary energies. Oakes’ interactions with the audience in perplexed facial expressions and lively movement sent the audience into fits of giggles and maintained the tone of the play well. The hilarious table choreography from Oakes at the end of the first half deserves a mention; you just had to be there. Both Dromio of Syracuse and Dromio of Ephesus (Rose Ormond) were real highlights for me. Their unwavering energy and impeccable comedic timing, and commitment really held the play together.

I was also incredibly impressed by the performances of Hana Swaddling and Ellie Davies, as Adriana and Luciana respectively, in their crystal clear portrayals of the subtly powerful women in the leading men’s lives, another example of an amazing understanding of Shakespeare. I find that meanings can so easily get lost when acting in Shakespeare’s complex linguistic style, and these two were a complete contrast to this. I understood every word and found their interpretation of the women quite comical.

Before I jump into the second half, I have to mention the unbelievably hilarious and unique performance from Elias Rosen as Antipholus of Ephesus. Absolutely every aspect of Rosen’s take on the character was captivating, camp, extravagant and amusing. The exaggerated, almost slapstick, body language; completely unreserved facial expressions, an unwavering immersion in the scenes, excellent comedic timing, and an arrogant, slightly creepy undertone that led to a, ‘I want to look away, but I can’t!’ sort of feeling, meant Rosen represented the play’s descent into madness extraordinarily.

At this point, I also need to take my hat off to Grace Dunn, the incredible stagehand, who handled that massive table deftly. Well done!

It was evident the play was brought together and amplified because of the commitment of every single actor on stage

Molly Cowell as the Merchant kicked the second half off to an incredibly powerful start; her energy and dedication to her scenes were admirable. Oakes, Rosen, Jones and Ormand continued to keep the audience enthralled by the insanity of the show, accompanied by strong performances from Ella Beresford as the Courtesan, Layla Rodrigues as Angelo and Ellie Kinch as Abbess, to name a few. As the plot accelerated into the hilarity of confusion and hysteria, so did the actors’ performances and the directorial choices. The candy ring on Rosen’s middle finger, Ormond’s physical breakdown over a comically large reel of rope, the line ‘I see these witches are afraid of guns’ from Jones, with bright blue plastic guns, as opposed to the original line, ‘I see these witches are afraid of swords’, and a brief snippet of ‘Man in the Mirror’ by Michael Jackson, all had the audience in stitches. This nods to the strength of the collaboration between Brook and Barker in their directorial debut. I do hope to see them direct again.

In the concluding moments of the play, feeling truly brought out from my post-exam blues, it was evident that the play was brought together and amplified because of the commitment of every single actor on stage. To be shamelessly cliché, the saying, ‘there are no small parts, only small actors’, can be applied no more appropriately than in this performance, with every actor being larger than life.

I can only hope that Sixth Side will put on more performances such as this one, and I urge all to attend.

Image: Sixth Side Theatre Company