The Comedy of ErrorsOpening Date: Jan 31, 1977
Closing Date: Feb 5, 1977 (dates reflect filming schedule) Air date: April 4, 1978 Medium: TV Where to watch: Region 2 DVD (as an Amazon Associate I may earn from qualifying purchases from this link) |
Stage Production Notes
In 1976, under the direction of Trevor Nunn, the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) staged a new production of Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors. Nunn set the play in a modern day Mediterranean tourist trap, and re-worked the text into a musical comedy with music by Guy Woolfenden.
The production featured amongst its cast Judi Dench, Roger Rees, and Richard Griffiths.
The musical version of The Comedy of Errors was performed for a week-long engagement at the Theatre Royal in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne between March 29, 1977 and April 9, 1977.
The Comedy of Errors opened in the West End at the Aldwych Theatre on December 14, 1977.
The production was well received by critics and won the 1977 Olivier Award for Best New Musical.
In reviewing the best stagings of The Comedy of Errors, English theatre critic Michael Billington described the RSC production as “Pure magic.” The Oxford Handbook of the British Musical states it was “a high point of the RSC’s legendary productions in the late seventies.”
According to Ariel Music, the RSC’s musical version of The Comedy of Errors has been performed around the world.
In 1976, under the direction of Trevor Nunn, the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) staged a new production of Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors. Nunn set the play in a modern day Mediterranean tourist trap, and re-worked the text into a musical comedy with music by Guy Woolfenden.
The production featured amongst its cast Judi Dench, Roger Rees, and Richard Griffiths.
The musical version of The Comedy of Errors was performed for a week-long engagement at the Theatre Royal in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne between March 29, 1977 and April 9, 1977.
The Comedy of Errors opened in the West End at the Aldwych Theatre on December 14, 1977.
The production was well received by critics and won the 1977 Olivier Award for Best New Musical.
In reviewing the best stagings of The Comedy of Errors, English theatre critic Michael Billington described the RSC production as “Pure magic.” The Oxford Handbook of the British Musical states it was “a high point of the RSC’s legendary productions in the late seventies.”
According to Ariel Music, the RSC’s musical version of The Comedy of Errors has been performed around the world.
Filmed Production Notes
The RSC production of The Comedy of Errors was recorded by ATV between January 31 and February 5, 1977.
Historian John Wyver, from Screen Plays: Theatre Plays on British Television, states that the filming was a hybrid of studio recording, and live theatre. Meanwhile, the British Film Institute’s Michael Brooke states the recording was intended to be a theatrical reproduction.
The production aired on the UK’s television station ITV on April 4, 1978.
Renaissance Classics released the VHS in August, 1992.
Network released the DVD in 2012.
The Comedy of Errors is available to watch on Region 2 DVD (as an Amazon Associate I may earn from qualifying purchases from this link).
The RSC production of The Comedy of Errors was recorded by ATV between January 31 and February 5, 1977.
Historian John Wyver, from Screen Plays: Theatre Plays on British Television, states that the filming was a hybrid of studio recording, and live theatre. Meanwhile, the British Film Institute’s Michael Brooke states the recording was intended to be a theatrical reproduction.
The production aired on the UK’s television station ITV on April 4, 1978.
Renaissance Classics released the VHS in August, 1992.
Network released the DVD in 2012.
The Comedy of Errors is available to watch on Region 2 DVD (as an Amazon Associate I may earn from qualifying purchases from this link).
The Comedy of Errors PRODUCTION CREDITS
Theatre: Shakespeare Memorial Theatre, Stratford-Upon-Avon
Producer: ATV, Peter Roden, Cecil Clarke
Book: William Shakespeare
Music: Guy Woolfenden
Lyrics: Trevor Nunn
Director: Trevor Nunn, Film: Philip Casson
Choreography: Gillian Lynne
Scenic Design: Norman Smith, John Napier
Lighting Design: Clive Morris
Cast:
Brian Coburn (Solinus (Duke of Ephesus)), Griffith Jones (Aegeon (a merchant of Syracuse)), Roger Rees (Antipholus of Syracuse), Mike Gwilym (Antipholus of Ephesus), Michael Williams (Dromio of Syracuse), Nickolas Grace (Dromio of Ephesus), Judi Dench (Adriana), Francesca Annis (Luciana), Paul Brooke (Angelo), Norman Tyrrell (Balthazar), Barbara Shelley (Courtesan), Robin Ellis (Dr. Pinch), Marie Kean (Aemelia), Richard Griffiths (Officer), Jacob Witkin (Merchant at the Popentine), Keith Taylor (Merchant), Susan Dury (Luce), Meg Davies (Nell)
Theatre: Shakespeare Memorial Theatre, Stratford-Upon-Avon
Producer: ATV, Peter Roden, Cecil Clarke
Book: William Shakespeare
Music: Guy Woolfenden
Lyrics: Trevor Nunn
Director: Trevor Nunn, Film: Philip Casson
Choreography: Gillian Lynne
Scenic Design: Norman Smith, John Napier
Lighting Design: Clive Morris
Cast:
Brian Coburn (Solinus (Duke of Ephesus)), Griffith Jones (Aegeon (a merchant of Syracuse)), Roger Rees (Antipholus of Syracuse), Mike Gwilym (Antipholus of Ephesus), Michael Williams (Dromio of Syracuse), Nickolas Grace (Dromio of Ephesus), Judi Dench (Adriana), Francesca Annis (Luciana), Paul Brooke (Angelo), Norman Tyrrell (Balthazar), Barbara Shelley (Courtesan), Robin Ellis (Dr. Pinch), Marie Kean (Aemelia), Richard Griffiths (Officer), Jacob Witkin (Merchant at the Popentine), Keith Taylor (Merchant), Susan Dury (Luce), Meg Davies (Nell)
Sources
Books
Articles
Websites
- Eds. William A. Everett, Paul R. Laird, The Cambridge Companion to the Musical, Cambridge University Press (2017)
- Eds. Robert Gordon, Olaf Jubin, The Oxford Handbook of the British Musical, Oxford University Press (2016)
Articles
- Michael Billington, “Best Shakespeare productions: The Comedy of Errors,” The Guardian (April 2, 2014)
- Michael Brooke, “Comedy of Errors, The (1978)” BFI Screenonline, (undated)
- John Wyver, “The Comedy of Errors (Royal Shakespeare Company/ATV, 1978)” Screen Plays: Theatre Plays on British Television (June 4, 2012)
Websites
- Amazon, “The Comedy of Errors [DVD] [1978]” Accessed via: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Comedy-Errors-DVD-Judi-Dench/dp/B0079K4YL0
- Amazon, The Comedy of Errors [VHS] [1978]” Accessed via: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Comedy-Errors-VHS-Judi-Dench/dp/B0000577IQ
- Ariel Music, “Theatre Music: Scores composed by Guy Woolfenden for the Royal Shakespeare Company,” Accessed via: https://arielmusic.co.uk/theatre/
- British Universities Film and Video Council, “Comedy of Errors, The,” Accessed via: http://bufvc.ac.uk/shakespeare/index.php/title/4110
- Royal Shakespeare Company, “Productions 1938 - 2005,” Accessed via: https://www.rsc.org.uk/the-comedy-of-errors/past-productions/productions-1938-2005
- Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, “RSC Performances: The Comedy of Errors,” Accessed via: http://collections.shakespeare.org.uk/search/rsc-performances/com197703-the-comedy-of-errors/search/everywhere:comedy-of-errors/sort_by/press_night/order/asc/view_as/grid/page/1
Written by Luisa Lyons (November, 2017)