THE HANGOVER REPORT – This summer, The Public’s Mobile Unit tours a rollicking bilingual musical adaptation of THE COMEDY OF ERRORS

The company of Mobile Unit’s “The Comedy of Errors” courtesy of The Public Theater (photo by Peter Cooper).

One of New York’s most cherished summer traditions has historically been to attend one of The Public Theater’s Free Shakespeare in the Park productions in Central Park. This year, however, The Public has opted to keep the Delacorte Theater vacant so that it can undergo much needed refurbishment, thereby leaving a gap in the the city’s summer cultural landscape. Thankfully, the Mobile Unit — also operated by The Public as a way to bring Shakespeare to the people — has happily picked up the slack, presenting a rollicking bilingual musical adaptation of the Bard’s The Comedy of Errors.

Given its frivolous, madcap story about mistaken identities and heartwarming reunions, the comedy is an ideal candidate among Shakespeare’s plays for such a fast-and-loose treatment. Indeed, through a parade of joyous songs and an overall spicing of strong Latin flavor — complete with swaths of dialogue converted into Spanish — Rebecca Martínez  and Julián Mesri’s immensely accessible and enjoyable adaptation is infused with the kind of distinct personality that often times eludes productions of this amusing if admittedly middle-of-the-road comedy. In paricular, Martínez and Mesri’s lively Latin score (accompanied live, often times courtesy of the actors themselves) is arguably the focal point of the show, which bursts into especially vibrant life when the actors burst into song.

As directed by Martínez, this scrappy, truncated 90-minute The Comedy of Errors dabbles in and races through the eventful Shakespeare plot like a carefree kid at play. That mindset is also manifested by the inspired, hardworking ensemble cast, who seem to be having a blast multi-tasking between languages, song, dance, and even playing instruments. If you have a chance to catch the adaptation during one of its stints at a public plaza or park across the five boroughs (the production is being presented in partnership with NYC Parks), I urge you to do so. It’s totally breezy summer fare.

RECOMMENDED

THE COMEDY OF ERRORS
Off-Broadway, Musical
The Public Theater‘s Mobile Unit / Various locations
1 hour, 30 minutes (without an intermission)
Through June 30

Categories: Off-Broadway, Theater

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