Courtyard Theatre – until 20 December 2025
Reviewed by Claire Roderick
5*****
Intermission Youth’s annual showcase of the talents of the young Londoners that have taken part in their 10-month Youth Theatre Programme are always special. Darren Raymond, Intermission‘s artistic director and writer of this show describes the passionate mission to bring Shakespeare to young people, and vice versa, by meeting in the middle. This cohort have obviously done so, blending the playfulness and rhythm of Shakespeare’s lines with modern language with exuberant wit.
This playing with language enriches Comedy of Errors magnificently. In this remixed production, Anthony and Dominique have arrived in London from the country of Shakespeare with their father, who has lost them and is immediately arrested by the police. Not speaking street, he is viewed with suspicion and fear by one nervous police officer, but another remembers his Shakespeare from school and understands his plight as he explains that his wife and the twin brother and sister of Anthony and Dominique were thought dead years ago but he has never given up hope of finding them. Unknown to him, Anthony and Dom are living in London and Anthony is getting married in a couple of days. As both sets of twins encounter other characters, mistaken identity, suspected betrayals and confusion abound.
The murkier parts of the plot are handled well, with Dominique having an encounter with a male kitchen wench, making the descriptions of his monstrosity easier to stomach after fighting him off. The production brings a wonderful modern feminism and confidence to the female characters which begins to rub off on Dominique as she becomes bolder throughout the play. The gold chain MacGuffin is split, now a mobile phone and a ring made by Angela, whose debt is owed to two fantastically characterised comedy villains – ridiculous but terrifying in equal measure.
The suspicions of “foreign” merchants in London in Shakespeare’s time is a clear entry into exploring the play through modern eyes and examining immigration in the UK. This isn’t done in a heavy-handed way, the cast portray the expectations, prejudices and limitations of the characters’ lives; sometimes with fatalistic humour, sometimes with fury, but always with a natural charm and dynamism, and a ferocity to defend their family, whether born or found. The cast are wonderful. The comedic timing is pristine, not only from the named characters, but the chorus too. The chorus share lines of soliloquies to build up the emotional heft of confrontations and also provide exposition. Their expressions and reactions to the nonsense unfolding in front of them are a joy to watch.
Astonishingly, this is Stephanie Badaru’s directing debut. The connection and trust the cast have with her and each other is incredible to see, and the light and shade between the fabulous comedy and the serious moments is woven skilfully and with great intuition. Two casts perform the play on different dates, Ephesus and Syracuse. Having seen the marvellous Ephesus cast perform, I am hoping to return to see the Syracuse cast and their take on this glorious production. The professionalism and passion on stage, and in the entire production crew, is captivating and highlights, once again, the vital work of Intermission enabling these exciting new creatives to develop the confidence and skills to find their audience.
Shakespeare is much more fun remixed.