A Comedy of Errors at Tattershall Castle

With the brick Great Tower as a backdrop, more than 180 people settled down with their chairs, rugs and picnics and enjoyed an evening of classic theatre in the great outdoors.

What makes this company so special is the traditional way they go about recreating Shakespeare’s plays.

The company specifically has an all-male cast and the costumes, props and set are sparingly used and historically accurate, making the performance as close as you can get to Shakespearean theatre when touring around the country.

One of the most impressive elements of the performance was the traditional songs spaced throughout the play.

Sung acapella, with accompanying Renaissance dance routines, the musical interludes effortlessly transported the audience back in time 400 years and perfectly set the tone for what followed.

The level of skill of these young actors and their ability to instantly change character demonstrates the quality of the touring company, but particular credit must go to Robert Elkin and Barney Healy-Smith playing the hilariously aggrieved identical twins, both named Dromio, and Danann Mcleer playing Egeon/Doctor Pinch, who was a truly tragic figure one moment and an overdramatic Doctor with a knack for exaggeration the next.

Although The Comedy of Errors is a fast paced farce that relies on mistaken identity, the Lord Chamberlain’s Men made the complex language and plotting of Shakespeare accessible to all, resulting in a brilliant night’s entertainment of what is a relatively unknown comedy.

Open air theatre is back at tattershall Castle on August 17, when the critically-acclaimed Pantaloons present A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Gates open at 6pm, with the performance at 7pm.

Tickets £15 and £10 from 01526 342543.