We took advantage of the The Children's Education program at Ball Hall in Fort Worth, and saw The Comedy of Errors from the Aquila Theatre Company. This production of "Shakespeare for a New Generation" was wonderful!
The story is that of a husband and wife who bear a set of twins. They then buy a set of twin servants for their sons, but later, the family is separated during an accident at sea. The mother, one son, and one servant float one way, while the father, another son, and another servant float another. Each group thinks the other has perished among the waves. Later, the son and servant of the father go on an adventure to the town where their twins live, and the comedy of errors begins. Wives confuse their husbands, merchants confuse their debtors, jailers confuse their prisoners. It's a hilarious tale of near misses and silly circumstances, and is a story worth hearing time and again.
The most amazing aspect of this production: the actors stuck to the original language of Shakespeare's writing, but the costumes, mannerisms, and tone of voice were all quite modern. For the younger child, a production like this told the story when the words were hard to follow. For the older child (or adult), the production helped make sense of difficult verbage. It helped to bring it all into context, making it comprehensible. I hope when my children are ready to being reading Shakespeare, we find a similar production, making their longterm study that much easier.
Ta Da!
Bass Hall
Tickets in Hand
Pictures from a Purse
(Flash photography isn't allowed in Bass Hall,
so I took these from my purse, flash off...)
A Pre-Show Snuggle
Curtain Call for Gracie before the Last Act
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