A swirl of identity-confusion and chaos erupted at the Fullerton College Theater Department’s rendition of Shakespeare’s “The Comedy of Errors,” when two sets of identical twins unknowingly reside in the same city.
The play told the story of the four twins who were separated at birth– Antipholus of Syracuse, Antipholus of Ephesus, and their servants– Dromio of Syracuse and Dromio of Ephesus.
Searching for his long-lost twin brother, Antipholus of Syracuse arrived in the city of Ephesus, which also turned out to be the hometown of Antipholus of Ephesus. Suddenly, the characters found themselves confusing one twin for another, which resulted in all sorts of ridiculous disputes and miscommunications.
Beyond the slapstick nature of the play, however, “The Comedy of Errors” captured the values of family reunion and connection through its humorous depiction of escalating chaos.
Rabiath Mama, the director of the play, shared that they adjusted the script to be more contemporary and added a prologue that is not in the play to contextualize the content.
“Aside from all of the errors and speaking identities and the physical comedy, the show has a lot of heart at the core of the story,” said MaMa. “It’s a story about family, reconnection, identity, and coming back home.”
Caitlyn Gong played Antipholus of Syracuse and plans to transfer to New York University to pursue her BFA in acting.
“[Antipholus of Syracuse] craves connection throughout the show, whether that be in finding his family, finding new friends, finding new connections,” said Gong.
One night before the play’s official opening, the actors and directors delved into scenes of confusion and humor — mistaken identities, wrong husband roles and a chaotic romance that happened in the city of Ephesus, ultimately pushing the separated twins back toward one another.
“It’s great to see the characters navigate, starting from a place of isolation and disconnection and making their way back to each other,” said Mama.
