TAKE TWO - A COMEDY OF ERRORS - AllThingsMomSydney

Take Two is coming to Riverside’s National Theatre of Parramatta in September.

Hilary Bell’s modern-language adaptation of Shakespeare’s irreverent play, Take Two: A Comedy of Errors is aimed at young kids and families and introducing them to stage and theatre.

We’re not talking toddler young or preschoolers but rather school aged children young.

I love Bell’s take on what she she was tasked with as it clearly shows an understanding of the audience she’s trying to reach.

“…I also wanted to make something that would introduce them to theatre more broadly. So many children are fixated on their screens, whether it’s their phones or the TV, the screens in supermarkets and train stations. It’s inescapable and you can’t compete with their CGI pyrotechnics. So I thought, well, what can theatre do that a screen can’t do?”

It’s almost like she’s met my son!!!

Thankfully this is one of Shakespeare’s funniest (and shortest) plays so it’s the right material to use as the basis for an adaptation.

A Comedy of Errors was one of Shakespeare's earliest plays. It's now been adapted for children and families to bring it up to date and to entertain.

What is Take Two about?

The Comedy of Errors is one of Shakespeare’s earliest and funniest plays, a tale of two sets of twins separated in infancy.

Take Two is a tale of two cities, two sets of twins, love, death, mistaken identity and identity theft.

Antipholus and his servant Dromio arrive in Ephesus searching for their long-lost twin brothers – who also happen to be called Antipholus and Dromio.

Meanwhile, Egeon has come looking for his sons and been locked up by the Duke. I’m not sure how they fit in??

Then there is a jealous wife, her bratty sister, a nun, a courtesan, an exorcist, a celebrity jeweller to add to the confusion. Add all the singing, dancing and magic tricks, and it’s a recipe for comedy chaos!

Shakespeare’s farcical tale of mistaken identity is hilarious and Bell has updated the language so that it’s easier for younger and modern audiences to understand.

Take Two is delivered in a way that gives young audiences easy access to the plot, characters and deeper themes of the play.

Bell says further of the play that:

“My aim in adapting A Comedy of Errors for young audiences was twofold: to playfully introduce kids to Shakespeare’s work, and to delight them with the simple but magical craft of theatre. While the language is that of Western Sydney today, it is interwoven with pieces of the original text. My hope is that kids will respond with a sense of curiosity and excitement.”

Take Two: A comedy of errors adapted for a modern family audience is on at Riverside Theatres this September.

The Cast of Take Two

Internationally-renowned director, Stefo Nantsou, leads a diverse and versatile cast of five performers who will play all 13 parts in Take Two.

The cast has a mixture of TV and theatre backgrounds :

Libby Asciak form TV’s The Secret Daughter and Here Come the Habibs;
Gabriel Rancourt from Darlinghurst Theatre Company’s The Hypochondriac, Sport for Jove’s The Tempest;
Bilal Hafda from the Story Factory;
Mansoor Noor from ABC’s Rake and Cleverman and
Lindy Sardonic from TV’s Water Rats and Circle Music.

Age Suitability

While the original Shakespearean play was slapstick and based on simple, physical humour there are also concepts, word play and names that the children will have to understand.

Take Two has been written for families with school aged children. According to the team behind the play it is suitable for children aged 7 and over.