Atlanta Shakespeare at New American Shakespeare Tavern to Present THE COMEDY OF ERRORS, 5/8-6/1

The Atlanta Shakespeare Company at The New American Shakespeare Tavern will present The Comedy of Errors, directed by Andrew Houchins, May 9-June 2014. There will be a $15 preview on May 8.

Two sets of twins, one case of mistaken identity, and a nun walk onto the stage. No, it's not the start of a joke, but it is hilarious! The Comedy of Errors takes Shakespearean funny to such slap-happy heights, you'll be dizzy with laughter. This tale of the merchant twins Antipholus and the servant twins Dromio is full of errors, upsets, and fun.

Join the cast and crew members for a lively Question and Answer session on Sunday May 18 after the show!

Performances are Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 7:30 PM, Sundays at 6:30 PM, and 10 AM on most Tuesday and Wednesdays.

The cast of The Comedy of Errors features Matt Nitchie (Solinus), Emmett Furrow (Aegeon), Rivka Levin (Aemilia), Michael Tarver (Antipholus of Ephesus), Annie York Hester (Dromio of Ephesus), Vinnie Mascola (Antipholus of Syracuse), Jaclyn Hofmann (Dromio of Syracuse), Megan Rose (Adriana), Kati Grace Brown (Luciana), Matt Felten (Angelo), Mary Ruth Ralston (Balthasar), Jennifer Lamourt (A Courtesan), Matt Nitchie (Pinch), Jennifer Lamourt and Mary Ruth Ralston (Merchants), and Nicholas Faircloth (Jailers and Luce).

Aegeon, a veteran merchant of Syracuse, is in distress in Ephesus, his town's implacable enemy. Any Syracusian seen in Ephesus will be executed unless he can pay a ransom of a thousand marks. Aegeon's goods, at the highest rate, cannot reach a hundred marks. Then why has he risked the penalty? He explains to the Duke (sympathetic, but unable to break the law), that long before, at Epidamnum, where he had gone on business, his wife had borne him twins. Strangely at that same hour and in the same inn, a peasant woman had given birth to indistinguishable twins who Aegeon had bought so that they could attend as slaves upon his sons. But on the way home their vessel was shipwrecked; he was separated from his wife, one of the twins and one of the peasant boys, and heard no more of them. When the other twins where eighteen they asked to go in search of their lost brothers. They did not return, and Aegeon, alone, had spent five years looking for them, coming at last to Ephesus and his apparent fate unless, at the day's end, he could make up the ransom.

The second scene introduces the wanders who happen to have arrived, unknown to him, at the same time as Aegeon. Very soon, Antipholus and Dromio of Syracuse are involved in a furious sequence of misunderstandings and the false identifications with Antipholus and Dromio of Ephesus. (Oddly, four people but only two names.) Throughout the piece - which observes the unities of action, time and place - A is always being mistaken for B and C for D. Shakespeare keeps it up with fantastic ingenuity until when the plot seems impossible to disentangle, an abbess emerges from the priory in mid-Ephesus and reunites Aegeon and Aemilia. Within a short scene everything is more or less explained; and the Abbess invites the baffled Duke, "To go with us into the abbey here,/And hear at large discoursed all our fortunes."

All regular (non-preview) Thursday shows are $20 for adults and $15 for students.

On Friday night, Main Floor seats are $32, Box seats are $26, and Balcony seats are $22. On Saturday night, Main Floor seats are $36, Box seats are $30, and Balcony seats are $24. On Sunday night, Main Floor seats are $28, Box seats are $22, and Balcony seats are $15.

An 8% sales tax is added on top of all purchases made at The Shakespeare Tavern.

Students and Educators receive $5 off per price level per night except in the Balcony on Thursdays and Sundays. This is not valid on Saturday nights. 10am matinees are $14. Military, Seniors, and Groups of 10 or more recieve $3 off, except in the Balcony on Thursdays and Sundays. Promotional discount offers are not valid during the closing weekend of a performance. Purchase tickets online for most performances at www.shakespearetavern.com.

The Shakespeare Tavern is handicapped accessible. Please let the box office know if you have any special needs that we should be aware of in order to make your Shakespeare Tavern experience the very best we can. Our handicapped entrance ramp/parking is located directly behind our building. Once you turn onto Renaissance Parkway from Peachtree Street, you will turn right onto Courtland Street. The Tavern's back entrance will be immediately on your right once you clear the building on the corner and the traffic poles. The turn comes up quickly, so please drive slowly. Handicapped parking is directly in front of the ramp, behind our building.

The New American Shakespeare Tavern is located at 499 Peachtree Street, NE, just four blocks south of The Fox Theater and directly across the street from Emory University Hospital Midtown.

In the evening, we recommend parking in the Emory University Hospital Midtown Parking Deck located directly across the street from the front doors of The Shakespeare Tavern on Peachtree Street. Regular parking price is $5.

DO NOT park on Pine Street or in the empty parking lots on Pine Street. Your car might be booted if you park in these lots.

The Tavern opens one hour and fifteen minutes before the performance for food and beverage service. Chef for a Night provides a British-pub-style menu for dinner. The Tavern has a beer, wine, coffee, tea, and soft drink bar that serves Bass and Guinness on tap.

Seating is done on a "first come, first served" basis within each designated section. Table seating is limited however all seats can accommodate food and beverages. For reservations or more information, call or email The Tavern Box Office at404.874.5299 or boxoffice@shakespearetavern.com or order tickets on-line at www.shakespearetavern.com.

The Shakespeare Tavern is a registered 501 ( C ) 3 non-profit organization and is a member of The Actor's Equity Association, the professional union of actors and stage managers.

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