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The Comedy of Errors (2008) |
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| Outdoor Production of The Comedy of Errors
26th-30th August 2008
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Ephesus.... cosmopolitan city on the fringes of Asia.... a place where anything can happen.... a town of merchants and magicians.... nimble jugglers that deceive the eye... dark-working sorcerers that can bend your mind... soul-killing witches... frauds and quacks... con-men and tricksters... and a few honest people too...
Add to the mix two pairs of identical twins, a courtesan, a schoolmaster who thinks he’s a wizard, a stolen diamond, an old man with a price on his head, an unpaid debt, a vast kitchenmaid, a brush with the law and a nun who isn’t quite what she seems…
Happily, the resulting chaos is untangled and this riotous Shakespearean comedy ends peacefully:
We came into the world like brother and brother,
And now let's go hand in hand, not one before another. |
The Riverside Players have been performing Open Air Theatre since 1951 and this year will be visiting Heythrop Park for just 5 performances.
Heythrop Park can be found on the A44 between Oxford and Chipping Norton. The postcode for SatNav equipment is OX7 4NF.
The theatre bar will be open from 7pm and during the interval.
There is plenty of car parking space and you are welcome to bring a picnic to enjoy in the grounds of Heythrop Park prior to the performance. Sorry - no dogs allowed.
Performances are in the open air theatre and summer nights can get cold – so please wear suitable clothing.
All seating is unreserved and has back rests. The majority is also raked.
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| Synopsis | The play opens with Aegeon, a merchant of Syracuse, being arrested in Ephesus because of enmity between Ephesus and Syracuse. Aegeon tells Solinus, the Duke of Ephesus, his tale: he was shipwrecked many years ago while sailing with his wife, Aemilia, and two pairs of identical twins—their twin sons, both named Antipholus, and twin servants, both named Dromio. In the course of the storm, his wife, one of their sons, and one their servants, were lost. At eighteen, Aegeon had allowed the remaining Antipholus and Dromio to leave Syracuse for Ephesus to search for their long-lost twins, at which point both of them had disappeared as well. After five years, Aegeon had come to Ephesus to find them. | | | | Solinus, moved by the old man's tale, postpones Aegeon's sentence; Aegeon has until nightfall to produce a ransom, or he will be put to death. At this point in the action, Antipholus of Syracuse arrives in Ephesus, and the farce commences as everyone—including the twins themselves—confuses the identities of the twins. Antipholus of Syracuse ends up invited to dinner at the home of Antipholus of Ephesus and dines with his twin's wife, Adriana. Meanwhile, Angelo, a merchant, gives a gold chain commissioned by Antipholus of Ephesus to Antipholus of Syracuse by mistake, telling him he'll come back later for payment. When Antipholus of Ephesus refuses to pay later on, Angelo has him arrested. All this time, Adriana and?her sister, Luciana, are convinced that Antipholus and Dromio (of Ephesus) have gone mad, which leads them to forcibly restrain them and take them to a doctor. | | | Of course, when Adriana later encounters Antipholus and Dromio of Syracuse, she thinks they've escaped from the doctor. The pair from Syracuse are forced to flee into a nearby abbey for refuge. In the meantime, Antipholus and Dromio of Ephesus do escape from the doctor, and arrive to petition the Duke as Aegeon is being led to his death. In the midst of everyone trying to tell their varying accounts of the day, Antipholus and Dromio of Syracuse arrive with the abbess—who turns out to be Aemilia, Aegeon's long-lost wife. The twins all sort out their stories in the presence of the Duke. In the end, Aegeon is released from his death sentence and reunited with his wife and sons, Antipholus of Syracuse is set to marry Luciana, and all has been put to right. | | | Ticket prices: | | | Adults: £15 Concessions: £11 (students, senior citizens and wheelchair assisted patrons) Groups: Buy 10 tickets get 1 free | | |
Pre-show dinner and overnight accommodation
is available at Heythrop Park | | |
How to find us
Heythrop Park can be found on the right hand side of the A44 from Oxford to Chipping Norton as you travel through Enstone. Follow the Heritage brown signs. The postcode for those of you using SatNav equipment is OX7 4NF.
There is plenty of car parking space and you are welcome to bring a picnic to enjoy in the grounds of the hotel prior to the performance. Sorry - no dogs allowed.
Once inside the grounds follow the Riverside Players signs to find the theatre.
Why not make an evening of entertainment and enjoy a pre-show dinner in Heythrop Park's magnificent restaurant. You might also consider staying the night at Heythrop Park.
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The Comedy of Errors (2008) 
