BWW Reviews: Shakespeare Comes to Portland in Post5's THE COMEDY OF ERRORS

If Shakespeare came to Portland, what would he think? Post5 Theatre's new adaptation of THE COMEDY OF ERRORS is an entertaining mashup of classic Shakespeare and modern-day Portland.

THE COMEDY OF ERRORS is one of the Bard's sillier plays. If you saw TWELFTH NIGHT last month at Post5, parts of the plot will be familiar: twins (not one set, but two! and they have the same name!) are separated by a shipwreck and grow up without knowledge about each other, and then find themselves in the same city and spend a very confusing day being repeatedly mistaken for each other. In this production, adapted and directed by Post5 Artistic Director Ty Boice, the twins land in the fictional world of Portland'a. There they encounter tattoo pushers, aggressive chuggers, the Unipiper, and more of the weird and wonderful characters who make the real Portland so weird and wonderful. There's no deeper meaning here -- it's silly and goofy and just fun.

One of Post5's fortes is the ability to milk every funny moment for all it's worth, and then give it a little something more. That talent is on hyperdrive in this production, which is fast-moving and highly physical, requiring uber-accurate timing for the actors to "stick the landing," both physically and verbally. Boice has set a difficult task for his cast, and as a whole they rise to the challenge admirably.

Despite the ensemble nature of the play, Act I indisputably belongs to Chip Sherman, who plays one of the Antipholuses. Sherman (who played Olivia in Post5's TWELFTH NIGHT) is captivating anytime he's on stage, and here he has plenty of opportunity to show off both his well-honed Shakespeare chops and his gift for physical comedy. I could happily watch him make his way through Shakespeare's entire comedic oeuvre.

Also notable are Brian Burger and Phillip J. Berns as the two Dromios (the twin fools who are servants to the twin Antipholuses) and Stan Brown (Egeon and ensemble), who has proven in two Post5 shows in a row that he can't walk on stage or open his mouth without being funny.

If you live in Portland and have a sense of humor, and especially if you have a sense of humor about living Portland, THE COMEDY OF ERRORS is for you. You might be surprised at how well the world of Shakespeare and the world of hipsters meld. And you will definitely laugh.

THE COMEDY OF ERRORS runs through June 27 at Post5 Theatre. For tickets, visit www.boxofficetickets.com.

Photo credit: Russell J. Young

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