Document text
0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Strenuous drug court is a game changer for the 55.5 percent who graduate ... Backcountry group to stump for wild steelhead sanctuary ... Recharged Lost Creek, Applegate reservoirs mean plenty of water for boating and fish ... Strenuous drug court is a game changer for the 55.5 percent who graduate ... Backcountry group to stump for wild steelhead sanctuary ... Recharged Lost Creek, Applegate reservoirs mean plenty of water for boating and fish ... THEATER REVIEW SOU's 'Comedy of Errors' plays up Medford, Ashland contrasts Comment By Bill Varble for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Bill Varble for the Mail Tribune Posted May. 28, 2016 at 2:00 AM By Bill Varble for the Mail Tribune Posted May. 28, 2016 at 2:00 AM If you go --> What: "The Comedy of Errors," by Southern Oregon University When: 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, 3 p.m. Sunday. Play lasts 100 minutes with no intermission Where: Craterian Theater, 23 ... » Read more X If you go What: "The Comedy of Errors," by Southern Oregon University When: 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, 3 p.m. Sunday. Play lasts 100 minutes with no intermission Where: Craterian Theater, 23 S. Central Ave., Medford Tickets: $22 general, $10 for students age 6-24, at www.craterian.org or by calling 541-779-3000   » Social News There’s nothing like a bang-bang start. As “The Comedy of Errors” opens, the Duchess of Ephesus (Lakia Solomon) tells Egeon (Jon Cates), a merchant from Syracuse, that it’s death for anybody from Syracuse to be found in Ephesus. So who shows up in Ephesus next but Antipholus of guess where (if you said Syracuse you’ve probably seen it before). Oh, those dang Ephesians! Ephesus was known to the Elizabethans from St. Paul’s epistle to the Ephesians, and the city, an important one in Asia Minor, was thought by Christians of the day to be a hotbed of wizards, sorcerers, witches, astrologers, rampant sex and assorted weirdness. In other words, a lot like Ashland. Or at least that’s how Southern Oregon University’s good-natured new version of Shakespeare’s early comedy, adapted and directed by SOU’s David McCandless, would have it. In this buoyant production, which opened Friday night at the Collier Center in Medford, Ashland plays wacky, hedonistic Ephesus to Medford’s sober, conservative Syracuse. The thing with directors injecting contemporary conceits into Shakespeare plays is that it’s fun if it works, but not so much if the device calls attention to itself at the expense of the play. The Ashland-Medford thing is a natural. The boys from Syracuse are fish out of water in wicked Ephesus. There’s a lot of ribbing of Ashland/Ephesus. Look, there’s the Wapiti Club and the Black Centaur. Aging hippies smoking joints, ladies of the night, Honduran double cappuccinos. Hungry? Aw, go to Syracuse and eat at Hometown Buffet. In case it’s been a while, a quick refresher: Two sets of twins were separated in a shipwreck, the Antipholi and the Dromios. The father, Egeon, is on a world cruise in search of his sons. Meanwhile, the Antipholus and Dromio and Syracuse turn up in Ephesus not knowing it’s now the home of their twins of the same names, who wound up there years earlier. This sets up a series of mistaken identities, a lot of confusion over money and a certain piece of jewelry and repeated accusations of madness and demonic possession, not to mention a whole lot of slapstick comedy, puns and wordplay. In another twist, Dromio of Syracuse, the servant of Antipholus of Syracuse (Galen A. Molk), and Dromio of Ephesus, servant to Antipholus of Ephesus (Kyle Sanderson), have become sassy kid sisters (played by Meg Chambers and Samantha Miller). Miller and Chambers endow the servants with spunk and get some of the production’s best laughs. The direction is fast-paced without descending into total slapstick. After all, the ending doesn’t stop with the usual weddings; it reunites an entire family. McCandless and his students have foregrounded such themes as the meaning of identity, the pain of loss and the enduring nature of family bonds. Did we mention the whole thing has become a semi-musical, with live music performed by The Fret Drifters (Andy Casad and Nick Garrett-Powell on guitars and Jim Sitter on cajon). There’s not a lot of dance, but what there is is rousing. There is also, although the characters carry cell phones, a terrific sword fight. The beating of servants, a comic tradition that the Elizabethans seemed to love as much as the audiences of the Commedia dell’arte, is notable by a general absence. Chandler Parrott-Thomas’s long-suffering Adriana, who thinks she’s seeing her husband, Antiphons of Ephesus, losing his mind, is the only character who keeps her wits amid the chaos. Truett Felt is her sister, Luciana, Connor Chaney is Angelo the goldsmith, and Aleah Zimmer is the funny priestess Emilia. —Reach Medford freelance writer Bill Varble at varble.bill @gmail.com. By Bill Varble for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Bill Varble for the Mail Tribune Posted May. 28, 2016 at 2:00 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2016 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501