National Theatre Live – The Comedy of Errors

The stage performance of The Comedy of Errors is recorded in front of a live audience at the National Theatre in London and will be presented at Irvine Barclay Theatre in high definition

Two sets of twins separated at birth collide in the same city without meeting for one crazy day, as multiple mistaken identities lead to confusion on a grand scale. And for no one more so than Antipholus of Syracuse and his servant Dromio who, in search of their brothers, arrive in a land entirely foreign to their distant home. A buzzing metropolis, to the outsiders it appears a place of wonderment and terror, where baffling gifts and unexplained hostilities abound.

Consistently recognised by strangers, the visitors question their very selves as the turmoil escalates. Meanwhile, Aegeon, father to the Antipholus twins, has been captured searching for his sons and, as an illegal immigrant, is sentenced to death at sunset. Shakespeare’s furiously paced comedy will be staged in a contemporary world into which walk three prohibited foreigners who see everything for the first time.

The National Theatre Live is a successful initiative that broadcasts live performances from the National’s stages to cinemas worldwide. Since its first season, which began in June 2009 with the acclaimed production of Phédre starring Helen Mirren, over half a million people have now experienced the National’s acclaimed work on movie screens around the world.