The Great River Shakespeare Festival, in Winona, MN, production of The Comedy of Errors is an evening of pure enjoyment and enthusiastically recommended. Set in pre-Depression New Orleans at Mardis Gras, the show is fun from start to finish, with a jovial bombardment of Big Easy references from Louis Armstrong to A Streetcar Named Desire to Interview with the Vampire and a lagniappe of winks to other Southern "treasures" thrown in.
This is a conceit that could have stopped the show cold with precious cleverness but the references are so well played and seamless they play like they Shakespeare himself wrote them in. That this device works is a credit to the director and dramaturg for knowing where to place and how to present them. However, the lion's share of kudos go the cast whose evident joy sells each and every one.
The GRSF does itself proud with its wonderful sets which serve the action remarkably and rival any other theatre company in the region. The director does a marvelous job of keeping the story of two sets of separated at birth identical twins zipping along as the confusion between characters spirals almost to chaos without also confusing the audience.
The real jewel of this production is the cast. These folks are as good as they come. Professional, talented and so deft with Shakespeare the poetry flows and the iambic pentameter is made as easy to understand as casual, everyday Midwestern conversation. Their energy, exuberance and dash is infectious; they're having fun and soon so is the audience.
The Winona State University Performing Arts Center auditorium is an ideal venue offering clear acoustics and excellent seating. The Common before the center is alive Friday and Saturday nights with pre-show concerts and other activities. Go early to enjoy it all!
Another good reason to go early is the trip to Winona via Highway 61. The journey is an easy and gorgeous one as the road wends along the banks of the Mississippi River through some of the most stunning scenery in all of Minnesota.
For play dates and times, tickets and other information go to: http://grsf.org/
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