Bell Shakespeare’s The Comedy Of Errors arrives in Sydney later this month as part of a six-month tour of 31 locations around the country. Story goes: two sets of identical twins are separated at birth after being rescued from a shipwreck. Thereafter unfolds a tale of mistaken identity, reconciliation and the yearning to connect with others. Cast member Anthony Taufa, who plays the characters of Duke and Balthazar, sees these as universal experiences. “I don’t have a twin, but it’s like we’re all trying to find other parts of ourselves, looking for someone to complete us,” he says. “Not necessarily a relationship or a career, but there’s that yearning for the other; we have our public faces, but we’re looking for something to make us complete … we all want to feel part of something bigger.”
For this season of The Comedy Of Errors, director Imara Savage gives the text a modern treatment. “It’s definitely a contemporary setting,” explains Taufa. “The story is of a character who is not allowed into the community. He’s not supposed to be there. He’s been brought in by border patrol … It’s very much in the now – there are links with current affairs. It looks at whether or not someone belongs when they’re a fish out of water. It’s relevant and contemporary, and very funny.” Savage has also set the play from evening ’til morning instead of dawn ’til dusk as the original script describes. “Imara’s spot on. It’s much more recognisable for a modern audience. We know what happens on those big nights out, those big benders when you go out at ten and stay up ’til the sun comes up. At night you allow yourself to do things you wouldn’t do during the day. You’re less inhibited. We’ve all had those weird nights out when you’ve been surrounded by all these faces but then in the morning you’re alone. You wake up not remembering everything. It becomes a bit warped.”
Taufa recognises that punters expect to laugh. “It’s called The Comedy Of Errors,” he reminds us. “It’s got to be funny. We do a lot of physical comedy. In parts it’s like Shakespeare’s attempt at farce, with doors and characters coming in and out. There are archetypes with the characters that people recognise – the nagging wife, the tough guy, the merchant. There are sight gags, fart gags and a memorable scene involving a washing machine.”
With such a date-heavy season, how does Taufa continue to challenge himself on stage? “Every show counts,” says Taufa. “Even if you’re only performing for 116 people. Every show will be new. You gauge the reaction of the audience, you pace up to make them laugh, or pace down.” One method of staying present and fresh involves the intensity of the interaction onstage. “You always make sure you’re affecting the other actors,” Taufa adds. “Sometimes the other players change something, emphasise something different, there’s a different nuance in lines. It changes from show to show, it changes from audience to audience.”
Has Taufa noticed any differences between the responses of rural audiences and those of towns? “Definitely,” he says. “The regional areas love the theatricality of the show, the slapstick comedy, the commedia dell’arte aspects of it. They embrace the vastness of it, the bigness of our concept. In the cities you can hear people murmur in recognition before the monologues.” So what’s it going to be, Sydney?
BY LIZA DEZFOULI
Bell Shakespeare‘s The Comedy Of Errors presents at the Playhouse, Sydney Opera House from November 12 through December 7.
