Philip Diamond & Jack Emerson Mosney in The Comedy of Errors | Photo by Cylla von Tiedemann
William Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors is exceptionally silly, though it does poke whimsically at the precariousness of identity. The compounding coincidences the plot requires are especially absurd, but like all great farces, the construction itself, all those convoluted story mechanics, are a part of its charm. And I do love me some shouty, door-slammy slapstick! The backstory is clunky yet efficient; Shakespeare has a pitiful merchant character spill the whole woeful tale to a Duke who, rather reluctantly, has sentenced him to death for an archaic local custom.
The first scene of George Brown Theatre School’s production is the weakest part of this well paced, but uneven affair. It’s here that we get that massive exposition dump about two sets of twins—a wealthy family buying the poor family’s sons as slaves—and then a whole shipwreck fiasco where the noble-servant pairings get separated. This opening section is burdened by a common issue I have with student productions of Shakespeare: performers being too affectedly careful with the language and specific actors simply too young to properly convey the life experience required of certain roles.
Once the the ball gets rolling, though, director Severn Thompson’s staging moves quickly and with great style. Ina Kerklaan’s costumes, a bright and breezy array of 1960s Mediterranean chic, are quite lovely. Amanda Wong’s set, featuring three facades with doors, is an effectively simple backdrop for outlandish situational comedy. Logan Raju Cracknell’s lighting offers the sort of warm, bright pastel wash best suited to this sort of thing, and Scott Banks‘ sound design features some groovy bossa nova, furthering the Mediterranean vibes.
So the whole scenario is wacky and sees the two mismatched twin pairs—Antipholus of Syracuse (Kaleb Piper) and his servant Dromio of Syracuse (Chrisevina Tsoura) getting separated, then reunited with each other, over and over again, while being mistaken by locals for Antipholus of Ephesus (Jack Emerson Mosney) and his servant Dromio of Ephesus (Philip Diamond). There is a heap of contextually specific goofy shenanigans, but the core of the comedy comes from these mistaken identities and the confusion that abounds. A series of props figure into the narrative (money, a gold chain, rope)—a standard farcical device: objects with which to track the unfolding confusion.
Fortuitously, these main four are some of the strongest performers. They have been costumed identically and vaguely echo each others body language and vocal affect, so you can suspend your disbelief in terms of the sibling relationships. Of the Dromio’s, Tsoura is the more endearing, but Diamond has been blessed with the most over-the-top comic material and he fully delivers! The most natural and nuanced portrayal, across the board, is from Mosney. I was drawn to him every time he was onstage.
I’d also like to shout out Ricardo Mckinson as Angelo the Goldsmith. I really wish there was more of this supporting character because, in the role, Mckinson has considerable presence and charisma—refined poise, grounded expression, a compelling sense of urgency, just a joy to behold.
I had a lovely time with this. The execution is inconsistent, but overall, it’s a short, fun play and this company, generally, pulls us through it with grace. The three major farcical set pieces of the play are masterfully set-up, paid off and very, very funny. They really nail the genuine sweetness of the finale too.
The Comedy of Errors
February 4 to 14, 2026
Young Centre for the Performing Arts
(50 Tank House Lane)
1 hour, 45 minutes (including intermission)
Kaleb Piper & Chrisevina Tsoura in The Comedy of Errors | Photo by Cylla von Tiedemann