STAGE REVIEW : Even When It Errs, ‘Comedy’ Works

At the Huntington Beach Playhouse, “The Comedy of Errors” comes with a certain ready-made appeal: Even when the mostly amateur actors find Shakespeare’s phrases as uncomfortable as a foreign language, there’s always the pretty setting to look at.

For the second year in a row, the playhouse, in league with the Huntington Beach Library, has brought the Bard to Huntington Central Park for afternoon performances on weekends. It’s a nice park, with surprising lushness and a large pond not much more than 50 yards from the wooden amphitheater.

There were a few distractions at last Saturday’s show--noisy airplanes, shouting kids, whiffs of barbecue, even a couple of bongo maniacs. Some of the distractions were on stage: A few of the supporting roles were handled so tentatively that all one could do was smile, gaze at a tree, and wait for the main characters, the carefree Antipholus twins and their nutty attendants, the look-alike Dromio boys. Thankfully, they’re onstage most of the time.

Mark Merkel as Antipholus of Syracuse, Sean O’Neil as Antipholus of Ephesus, and Daryl Mendelson and Gregory Cohen as the Dromios all are adept at comedy and, more significantly, fairly at ease with Shakespeare. They know how to project, too--a trait of some worth in this busy park.

“The Comedy of Errors” may be the ideal project for a community theater that can’t resist taking on the Bard. It’s shallow enough that it doesn’t require the sort of expertise his tragedies demand, and a colorful style can go a long way. Plus, the play is a ribald crowd-pleaser, a fact not lost on Phil De Barros, who has directed with a distinct emphasis on physicality.

The plot is thin, almost an excuse to build a comedy upon. It begins with the arrest of Egeon (Bill Carden), simply because he comes from Syracuse. Egeon tells the authorities that he has come to their village of Ephesus to look for his wife, their identical sons and their identical servants.

What nobody knows (except for the audience) is that one son and servant have been in Ephesus for years and that the other son and servant have spent much time searching for them. The “errors” come when the foursome slip and slide in and out of each other’s lives, confusing themselves and everyone in their paths.

In this romp, the two Dromios provide the rude humor (guffawing about wenches, cringing under their lord’s anger over the escalating misunderstandings) and Cohen and Mendelson go playfully overboard. O’Neil and Merkel also know what’s expected of them--a double-taking frustration that builds and builds--and they prove equally able.

* “The Comedy of Errors,” Huntington Central Park amphitheater, near the corner of Goldenwest Street and Talbert Avenue, Huntington Beach. Saturdays and Sundays at 2 p.m. through June 27. $4-$6. (714) 832-1405. Running time: 1 hour, 50 minutes.

Bill Carden: Egeon

Gregory Cohen: Dromio of Ephesus

Nick Cook: Angelo

Jessica Craven: Adriana

Wendi De Barros: Luciana

Floyd Grubb: Balthasar/attendant

Christina Leffler: Nell

Daryl Mendelson: Dromio of Syracuse

Mark Merkel: Antipholus of Syracuse

Jackie Mikulka: Merchant/servant

Sean O’Neil: Antipholus of Ephesus

Chris Patterson: Duke

Gwen Wooldridge: Abbess

Thomas J. Redding: Pinch

A Huntington Beach Playhouse/Huntington Beach Central Library production of Shakespeare’s comedy, directed by Phil De Barros. Set by Marty Eckmann. Costumes by Evelyn Dart and Marty Eckmann.