THE PLAY: Shakespeare’s romantic comedy features mistaken identities, a love triangle and the expected buffoons.

THE PRODUCTION: The first 15 minutes feature lovely songs by Levi Meerovich and a curtain speech. The show’s almost 3 hour running time didn’t need this extra. The cast is uniformly solid as they move thru the script with energy. Kurt Benjamin Smith (as Sir Andrew) shines hilariously with his nimble physical hijinks. Director Jan Powell has dropped in plenty of comic bits, but the show’s pace or the overall presentation style could have been ramped up (or some dialogue could have been cut). While this production is never bad, it never reaches the heights of confusion or comedy. The eclectic costumes by Anna Bialkowski hinted at the late 1960s, which was sometimes referenced in the popular pop songs between scenes.
This production boasts firsts for the company.
1. The show is staged behind Agecroft with seating on the lawn. Since there’s a glorious view of the building, a simple wooden wall with bits of ivy is all that’s needed for the set.
2. They used amplification for the voices. This helped for this extended space, although missed cues and occasional distortion were a distraction.
Running time: 2:50

THE POINT: This production has comic highlights, but the unhurried energy didn’t compensate for the extended running time. (3 / 5)

A Quill Theatre production at Agecroft Hall thru 8/15