The Bomb-itty of Errors
byEveryone Must See The Bomb-itty of Errors!
I don’t think I’ve laughed so hard while watching Shakespeare as I did watching Twenty-Something Theatre’s The Bomb-itty of Errors, a hip-hop-rap adaptation of Shakespeare’s farcical tale of mistaken identity, The Comedy of Errors.
The original story tells the tale of two sets of identical twins that were accidentally separated at birth. Antipholus of Syracuse and his servant Dromio arrive in Ephesus, home of their twin brothers — another master-servant combo — conveniently also named Atipholus and Dromio. In Bomb-itty, there are two sets of twins born from the same parents, some of the outlandish changes made to the original story that make this performance that much more hysterical.
The raps and rhymes were outstandingly clever and there were even some Vancouver references (Henrik Sedin, the PNE) and the acting was good and probably the best live comedic acting I’ve ever seen.
Jameson Parker gives a strong, solid performance as Antipholus of Ephesus and his wife, Adriana. Niko Koupantsis was adorable as one of the Dromios and Luciana. And though I did find him quiet at times, it might have been the fact that it was hard hearing him over all the audience’s laughter. Major props go to Brian Cochrane his sometimes politically incorrect and hysterical characterization of the Jewish jeweler MC Hendelberg…I saw this the day before a Passover seder and told everyone about it.
I loved Vanessa Imeson’s costumes—the neon colours, the over-the-top shapes—they were sometimes were reminiscent of the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (in a good way).
There isn’t an intermission during the show, which is good, because there doesn’t need to be — you won’t want a break from the all the laughter and fun this show has to offer.
The show runs until April 22, 2012 at Studio 16 (1545 West Seventh Avenue) and tickets are still available for $15-$25. Find Twenty Something Theatre on Twitter and Facebook for more information.
