Shakespeare is a somewhat quixotic endeavour for fringe companies, who lack the resources and, usually, the expertise of the big flagship theatres. Why should punters part with cash to see classical drama performed in a creaky room above a malodorous pub when they can catch, say, the RSC at the Roundhouse?
To compete, the small-scale staging must offer an interpretation that certainly need not be lavish, but ought at least to be genuinely fresh. Bryn Holding’s version of this Ephesian romp revolving around two sets of befuddled twins doesn’t quite deliver, though it does possess a degree of cheeky charm.
The setting and colourful costumes are redolent of a ’50s English seaside postcard; three bathing huts supply a trio of doors that should facilitate the farcical action, but are disappointingly underused. The action thumps along merrily enough, despite uneven delivery of the text; most of the fun comes courtesy of David Eaton and Mark Collier, who play the two Dromios as a pair of prat-falling Charles Hawtrey types. Mildly diverting, but unmemorable.