Stanley Wells dubs this "Shakespeare's masterpiece, if we use that word to mean the first work in which mastery of craft is displayed". I'm with the esteemed professor on that. It strikes me as a perfectly plotted play that doubles the fun of its source, Plautus's Menaechmi, by offering us not one but two sets of twins. It almost always provides a great night out and my only reservation comes when one actor plays each set of twins. Kathryn Hunter made that idea work in her Shakespeare's Globe production (1999) largely because of the exuberant Marcello Magni as the two Dromios. I was less keen on Ian Judge's 1990 RSC production where, even with Desmond Barrit as the two Antipholuses, we were often as confused as the characters: the whole joke rests on the audience being ahead of the game.
But I've seen some lovely productions with some memorable pairings. Clifford Williams did the play twice at Stratford – once with Ian Richardson and Alec McCowen as the twin masters, the next time with John Wood and Corin Redgrave. Dominic Cooke also did a lively, if slightly strenuous, production at the National (2011), starring Lenny Henry and turning the play into an urban nightmare.
But – somewhat to my surprise because I'm a bit of a Shakespearean purist – the production I recall with most pleasure is a Trevor Nunn revival (1976) that came equipped with a full-blown score by Guy Woolfenden as well as a sublime cast including Judi Dench, Francesca Annis and Richard Griffiths. The moment I remember best is that of Michael Williams and Nickolas Grace as the twin Dromios singing "let's go hand in hand" as they made their harmonious joint exit. Pure magic.
• What are your favourite versions of The Comedy of Errors? Let us know in the comments thread below
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