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Barry Kirk reviews Comedy of Errors at the Queen�s Theatre, Hornchurch
You didn�t have to go to Billet Lane on Monday to know the Queen's Theatre had a whopper of a success on its hands � you could hear it miles away.
Shakespeare�s Comedy of Errors opened on Monday night to after-show scenes in the foyer that most theatre directors would sell their soul for.
No one actually wanted to go home, they all seemed to be talking about the show which is probably one of the best top to bottom productions seen in Hornchurch for many a year.
The third of the Bard�s plays to be put on in the Billet Lane venue in almost two decades, it was transported to a time some four centuries hence and plonked squarely into New York with two characters looking suspiciously like Jake and Elroy Blues.
The talked the �Bard� talk and sang the �Blues� songs, and did they work?
This proved that Shakespeare can literally stand the test of time. His �funny� play of two sets of twins being separated at an early age, meeting up years later totally unaware of each other and exposed after a charade of Brian Rix metaphorical door-slamming proportions, is a totally trite description of what the Queen�s team did to this superb piece of work.
They actually made it better, and if there is any justice in the theatrical world, then this production should go round the UK and carry the legend, �First produced at the Queen's Theatre, Hornchurch� in the programme notes.
What made this really special for me was that the full family of the theatre were involved, it was a team performance as highlighted by the final explosive number of �We Need You� with a back video showing everyone involved in the theatre dancing to the music. Cleaners to front of house managers, box office to admin � all getting the message across that this is Havering�s theatre, but emphasising with this quality production that we need them just as much as the stars on stage.
The show was described to me two weeks ago as Shakespeare �but not as we know it�, by the two blues boys, Matt Devitt and Julian Littman. These two class actor/musicians are not normally so up front with their descriptions, so I came away from the interview suspecting we were in for something special.
The idea of a Blues Brothers incursion into Comedy of Errors has apparently been in Artistic Director Bob Carlton�s mind for quite some time, with his long-term friends and colleagues, Matt and Julian in the title roles.
And they were perfect. To see these two literally bounce off each other in a master class of timing and stagecraft was a privilege to watch. But what made this so special was the stage did not just have two stars, it had nine.
In what can only be described as a blinding lesson of professionalism and how to work as a team, the Cut to the Chase Company of actor musicians, shone and dazzled.
James Earl Adair, Philip Reed, Peter Helmer, Loveday Smith, Wendy Parkin, James Eaton and Georgina Field along with Matt and Julian, literally took the place apart with wall-to-wall, totally unselfish performances that left the auditorium gasping for breath.
The other element, and one so often overlooked, is the set, but Rodney Ford�s magnificent sloping skyscraper backdrop was a perfect reflection of the play and emphasised the action and quality of the players.
Add the Blues Brothers music, directed by Julian Littman and chorography by Kraig Thornber � what more do you want?
Driving home after the show, I started to lose count of the superlatives to describe what I had just seen. Brilliant, superb, groundbreaking, it all seemed to blur into a cacophony of praise that lost significance or could not reflect the entertainment value of the production. �It was a good show� is not quite enough either!
It�s been a long time since I have seen such scenes in the foyer, and everyone could feel excitement buzzing through the whole building as they witnessed a winner getting off the blocks.
Whatever you do, don�t miss this one. Enjoy, but you will have to be quick and get in before me, because I am going back again for another plateful.
Comedy of Errors runs until Saturday May 7, with tickets ranging from �8.50 to �16 and available from the box office on 01708 443333.
Romford Recorder � Friday April 22nd 2005
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