Breakneck Comedy of Errors - Tim Mooney

Tim Mooney has become something of a perennial favorite of the KC Fringe, his offerings more or less evenly split between theater and science fiction. This year, he presents another of his “Breakneck” series, in which he performs a one-man rendition of one of Shakespeare’s works.

This time around, the offering is “The Comedy of Errors,” a byzantine farce containing two sets of identical twins, each set sharing a single name, yet running around the town of Ephesus piling up one case of mistaken identity after another, and never realizing till the end what is going on. This, as Mr. Mooney points out, despite the fact that half of the group came to Ephesus specifically in search of the other half. There follows lots of slapstick, some of Shakespeare’s better comic wordplay, and a series of improbable coincidences that would be too much even for grand opera, and a final happy ending for all.

Mr. Mooney’s rendition is a particularly energetic one. He handles the issue of having over a dozen characters through clever use of headgear and voice work. It really brings home the sheer chaos of the story. Further, he does a good job deconstructing the play as he goes along, making little asides as he progresses. It is all in all a relentless performance, consistently entertaining from beginning to end. Those new to the Fringe are encouraged in the strongest possible terms to see this show. And as for those who are Fringe veterans, judging by the Sunday night audience, they already know.