Comedy not of errors but well-played laughs

On Wednesday, I was privileged to view Theater USF’s performance of the Comedy of Errors. As I walked through the doors of the theater, I immediately fell in love with an amazing set that literally takes you into the world of a Carribbean village, the location of this version of one of Shakespeare’s greatest comedies.

The play begins with a street scene that allows for audience participation by actors interacting with theater patrons. It then proceeds to tell the story of two sets of twins who were seperated due to a violent sea and at the play’s end, reunited. Jamie Giangrande’s Adriana had some shining moments, one being the amusing way she silences the onstage musicians. Lee Markham is a pleasure to watch as Dromio of Syracuse and does a great job mirroring his twin brother, Dromio of Ephesus, played by Patrick Pizzolorusso. Each Antipholous is equally funny, but the character who steals the show is Luis Greto’s Dr. Pinch.

If I could say anything bad about the performance, I would remark that I noticed a chandelier being raised early and Solinus’ first speeches of the play seemed to be garbled and searching for an accent. However, Marios Leonidou, who played Solinus, was able to finish strong at the second act of the play.

The Comedy Errors was a well-produced show, and much credit goes to the actors, stage crew and the director, Francis Matthews. I highly recommend viewing this show to the students of USF, definitely to those students who need a good laugh. And, if you consider what you could be watching on TV: reruns, Olympic sports you don’t understand and scrolling marquees on CNN, the Comedy of Errors is a refreshing change.