Washington Post - Recommended
"...A funny thing happened in the play at the Folger. To be completely accurate, many funny things happen in director Aaron Posner's dandy handling of "The Comedy of Errors," Shakespeare's manic farce of inadvertent identity theft."
DCist - Highly Recommended
"...The pair of servants, each named Dromio, are a delight in The Comedy of Errors -- Nathan Keepers as Dromio of Syracuse, the stranger in town, is particularly skilled at his pratfalls and outrageous scenes, and is paired with Keenan, who makes for an appealing straight man. Erin Weaver is another cast highlight as Luciana, delivering some priceless facial expressions and line deliveries as the sister of Antipholus' wife Adriana, who urges patience in her relative's exasperation with her unpredictable husband but is later forced to ward off the advances of his double. But really, every cast member complements each other in this Comedy; if only the Worchestershire Mask & Wig Society will make a return trip to the States next season."
Examiner - Highly Recommended
"...
Folger Theatre's "The Comedy of Errors" is a pure, unadulterated delight. From its clever frame to its charming onstage accompaniment provided by Jesse Terrill, it is a production that surprises and entertains from first moment to last."
MetroWeekly - Recommended
"...Among the sharp cast, Nathan Keepers and Darius Pierce are the show's anchors, playing the physically funny and endlessly entertaining Dromio clowns. Suzanne O'Donnell steals the show as the hysterical Adriana, especially in the second act, when she grovels with abandon before the Duke, pleading with him to pardon her husband, the master Antipholus. And Jesse Terrill offers unexpected humor as a one-man band on the side of the stage, offering musical bells and whistles helping keep you from trying to make sense of the whole show. Better to just go with the flow."
Washington City Paper - Highly Recommended
"...There’s a delirious mirrored physicality to the brothers-playing-brothers act Nathan Keepers and Darius Pierce keep up as mismatched Dromios all evening. And timing—from the landing of punchlines to the scene change from indoors to outdoors accomplished entirely with synchronized door slams—is pretty astonishing throughout. It helps that Tony Cisek has provided 11 doors for slamming (and getting stuck in) within a colorful, mock-Victorian setting that looks a bit like the interior of the Smithsonian Castle; that musician Jesse Terrill is on hand to punctuate jokes with drumrolls and xylophone riffs; and that Aaron Cromie’s arresting masks—some mostly foreheads, others seemingly all cheeks and ears—enhance both the doubling of actors and the doubleness of twins. Other embellishments include lines that are less than strictly Shakespearean (“Dromio, Dromio, wherefore art thou, Dromio”), and not one but two terrific gags about that pair (more twins!) of mid-stage columns that have long been the bane of Folger Theatre designers."
Washingtonian - Recommended
"...The humor tends toward the crude and childish, which means it’s very funny. Stranger Dromio is horrified when he encounters his twin’s wife, whom he describes as “a mountain of mad flesh who claims marriage of me.” There’s a lot of clownish repetition involving two soldiers, the twin Dromios’ awkward physicality, and a few updated lines (“Dromio, Dromio, wherefore art thou Dromio” is presumably not in Shakespeare’s original text). Posner’s cast is universally strong, and the group’s vivid, ridiculous costumes (designed by Kate Turner-Walker), combined with Tony Cisek’s primary-colors-only set, plays into the childlike sense of whimsy. It isn’t the cleverest show you’ll see this year, but for simple laughs it’s hard to beat."
Express Night Out - Recommended
"...Posner has added a frame to Shakespeare's script — a fictional British theater company that's performing the play, which adds a new layer of complexity. The opening sequence features a "Waiting for Guffman"-esque film; the production harks back to everything from French farce to the Marx brothers, with slamming doors and pratfalls. But for all the running and shouting, perhaps the show's biggest and most welcome surprise comes from the poignant twist as the hilarity winds down. As the audience headed out the door after the curtain closed, one viewer whimpered, "I have to go call my dad.""
Washington Blade - Highly Recommended
"...After two hours of crazy zigzags, things begin to come together with the appearance of reliable Folger regular Catherine Flye in the part of the stern abbess who, as it turns out, is the final piece of the fractured family puzzle. It is she with her wisdom and heartfelt words, poignantly delivered by Flye, who ultimately gives meaning to all the mayhem."
Two Hours Traffic - Highly Recommended
"...there's a fantastic level of commitment in this cast. There's a not a weak link in the bunch, although special praise must go to Keepers, Pierce, and Suzanne O'Donnell's Adriana (and a special-special nod to Rachel Zampelli's "effortlessly" funny, scene-stealing Courtesan). The humor is big and broad and I had a blast- it's a show full of fantastic performances that bring this strange, kooky play to life."
DCTheatreScene - Highly Recommended
Folger Theatre has scored yet again, big time. The company’s irresistible, all-new take loads contemporary satire and vaudeville slapstick into Shakespeare’s already winning script.
