A Director to Adapt Each of Shakespeare's Plays #4 -- THE COMEDY OF ERRORS directed by Trey Parker
The Plot:
A shipwreck separates two identical twins from their father and also each other. Without knowing it, the separated twins hire another set of separated identical twins as servants. When the master and servant from Syracuse show up in Ephesus, they are mistaken for the other master and servant which leads to mistaken identity jokes ad nauseum.
Why Parker?
Unlike Shakespeare's more gentle, romantic comedies, Comedy of Errors goes for the belly laughs. It draws inspiration from the Roman farces of Plautus and relies on situation, physicality and crude innuendo more than polished wit. In order to be updated to the 21st century, the play needs a director who is not afraid to add a fresh layer of topicality and vulgarity. The Farrelly Brothers might be another option, but for my money, Parker is more consistently funny and more scathing. With the South Park movie and even the hit-and-miss Orgamzo and Cannibal: The Musical, Parker has demonstrated that he is willing to go over-the-top for a laugh and that’s just what this play needs.
Parker films I have seen:
1. South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut ***1/2
2. Cannibal! The Musical **1/2
3. Orgazmo **1/2
4. Team America: World Police *1/2
A shipwreck separates two identical twins from their father and also each other. Without knowing it, the separated twins hire another set of separated identical twins as servants. When the master and servant from Syracuse show up in Ephesus, they are mistaken for the other master and servant which leads to mistaken identity jokes ad nauseum.
Why Parker?
Unlike Shakespeare's more gentle, romantic comedies, Comedy of Errors goes for the belly laughs. It draws inspiration from the Roman farces of Plautus and relies on situation, physicality and crude innuendo more than polished wit. In order to be updated to the 21st century, the play needs a director who is not afraid to add a fresh layer of topicality and vulgarity. The Farrelly Brothers might be another option, but for my money, Parker is more consistently funny and more scathing. With the South Park movie and even the hit-and-miss Orgamzo and Cannibal: The Musical, Parker has demonstrated that he is willing to go over-the-top for a laugh and that’s just what this play needs.
Parker films I have seen:
1. South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut ***1/2
2. Cannibal! The Musical **1/2
3. Orgazmo **1/2
4. Team America: World Police *1/2
posted by Joel at 1:50 PM
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