The Comedy of Errors

Abbey Theatre til Sat 2 May

Ok, so it's a ridiculous plot, but it's alot of fun: not one but two sets of identical twins (masters and servants) separated as babies in a violent shipwreck which also sees their parents swept away to who knows where - and they all end up in the same place on the same day? Add to the delicious confusion of this unlikely equation that each set of twins has the same name, and you're beginning to get the picture. Mind you, the fact that one twin has set out in search of the other, but doesn't twig when complete strangers start greeting him as an old friend, not to mention a husband, makes you want to shake him. Delightful silliness abounds, as mistaken identity piles upon mistaken identity, but of course you know it will all end happily ever after.

Rather than going with the flow, director Jason Byrne highlights the play's artifice, putting everything on view - visible wings, scaffolding sets with doors or windows tacked on where necessary, lots of playacting, canned laughter, sudden non-sequitur bursts of dancing to loud music by the entire cast, and very noisy scene changes. You can see what he's getting at, but the latter two devices become a bit grating after a while, and although there are some great comic turns from the likes of Peter Daly and Rory Nolan, the hardworking cast sometimes have a bit of an uphill battle to keep the show on the road. Good fun nonetheless.