range: The words take on a more sing-song quality, the pitch gets higher and lower, and the facial expressions are more pronounced. If you are lucky, you will achieve this third level in performance. The final level is the most useful in comedy, but also helpful with beginning actors in any genre: “over the top.” In “over the top,” I encourage my thespians to throw caution to the wind and see just how big, loud, exaggerated, and ridiculous they can be, without regard to whether it makes sense for the scene. I am essentially asking them to go beyond their perceived limits of decorum. I assure them that it is impossible for them to overact or overemphasize in this exercise. I am asking for systematic and purposeful breaking of boundaries. This is where it gets interesting, because frequently what actors give me at this stage is exactly what I want! Nobody ever goes too far, and what many beginning actors consider “over the top” is actually what I see as the proper level of exaggeration for a silly comedy. The most important lesson to be derived from this exercise is that there is a great range of possibilities and we often don’t know what the scope is until we experiment with stretching our limits. This exercise can be applied to just vocals, as well as speech combined with movement.
THE COMEDY OF ERRORS: ACT II, SCENE II
The narrator begins Act II, Scene II by explaining the increasingly convoluted circumstances surrounding the two sets of twins, finally exclaiming, “Confused? Good. So are they!” During rehearsal, we added, “So am I!” as a coda, which got a laugh, partly because it gave the narrator an identity and a personality. Even small roles, in this case a role with no character name, can have charisma and add to the dramatic life of the play.
In this scene, we repeat the comic bit of Antipholus repeatedly striking Dromio with his hat, only this time, it’s the other Dromio. They up the ante by chasing each other around the bench; Dromio also slides under the bench to try to avoid being beaten, thus taking the physical comedy one step farther.
Dromio ends up with the hat, and proceeds to hit Antipholus with it. By having Antipholus beat Dromio with his hat for a second time, we establish a physical vocabulary for the comedy. Repetition enhances humor. Having Dromio turn the tables by beating Antipholus with the hat adds a twist to the comedy: the element of surprise. I missed an opportunity here to repeat this comic bit a third time, with yet another twist. Doing so would have gotten a bigger laugh than before, due to comedy’s rule of three. Perhaps at the very end of the play as the two sets of twins recited the line, “We came into the world like brother and brother,” they could have given each other one more whack on the head with the hat, to put a cap on the comedy!
As Adriana and Luciana enter, Dromio and Antipholus are no longer fighting; they are on the same team. Dromio nudges Antipholus to talk to this woman who believes she is his wife. In this scene, Luciana demonstrates her no-nonsense character with physical poses: crossed arms and defiant posture. On each name she calls Dromio, she pokes him in the chest: “Thou drone,” (poke) “thou snail,” (poke) “thou slug,” (poke) “thou sot,” (poke, poke, poke), ultimately backing poor Dromio up against the wall. These physical moves work wonders in accentuating Shakespeare’s words and increasing the audience laughter.
When Antipholus exclaims “And in this mist at all adventures go,” he raises his sword high and jogs out enthusiastically, following the ladies. Simple, effective blocking and physical gestures, combined with actor enthusiasm, helps players and audience alike gain a better understanding of Shakespeare’s text, characters, and relationships. The result is a merry play!
ACT II, SCENE II: ADRIANA MONOLOGUE
In this speech, Adriana beckons the man she thinks is her husband (Antipholus of Ephesus), who is in fact her husband’s twin (Antipholus of Syracuse). When he does not recognize her, she launches into a formidable tirade, which aptly paints a portrait of a passionate married woman with strong opinions on the institution of marriage—and a fiery personality to match.
Adriana begins the monologue with sarcasm. When she says, “Look strange and frown,” she is not describing what she wishes Antipholus to do. Rather, she is stating her distaste for Antipholus’ facial expression, prefacing her remarks with “Ay, ay.” She might even imitate his face by facially mirroring Antipholus’s blank, confused expression. If playing the speech as part of the scene, you can mimic the face Antipholus is making; if playing the monologue solo, you can simply invent a ridiculous face and express it straight out to the audience. Either way, it will likely get a laugh.
In the second sentence, Adriana’s suspicion is immediately evident: “Some other mistress hath thy sweet aspects.” The Folger Shakespeare Library notes for The Comedy of Errors indicate that the second syllable of “aspects” is emphasized. This will give you the opportunity to really spit out the word, with the sharp “-ects” sound cutting through the air like a knife. Utter it with heartache and fury.
The third sentence continues with derision: “I am not Adriana, nor thy wife.”
The words “Adriana” and “thy wife” can be emphasized. Color these words to express Adriana’s true feelings. Try saying “thy wife” with anger, and then try the phrase again with pain in your voice. Perhaps both emotions will make their way into the phrase. Study the whole speech and some of Adriana’s other earlier speeches in this scene and in Act II, Scene I. Invariably, when you are familiar with a character’s arc throughout the whole play, you are better able to deliver a nuanced speech containing that character’s many facets. Sadness and anger are evident in Adriana’s words. Can you identify any other emotions, perhaps in the subtext? Is there tenderness and love for Antipholus below the sorrow and hurt of perceived infidelity and abandonment?
A shift in tone and content follows the first three lines. Adriana now describes what she and Antipholus had together. She appeals to Antipholus’s senses: hearing, sight, touch, and taste, asserting that it was through his love for her that all his senses were enriched. There is an opportunity here for physical gestures. Something as simple as a soft palm-on-palm motion while speaking the word “hand” can convey the more gentle, wistful tone of this passage. Experiment in front of a mirror, and pick one gesture for the passage that you believe will aptly accompany this sensual set of descriptions.
Until the line that begins with “Unless I spake,” the speech is exclusively written in iambic pentameter. In this line, however, there is an extra beat: “Unless I spake or looked or touched, or carved” is one line of iambic pentameter. Thus, the moment before the words “To thee” emerges as a natural “beat” or breathing point. This beat can give weight to the two words and allow Adriana to pour an extra measure of tenderness into them. The iambic pentameter rhythm is like a heartbeat. When the rhythm is off by an extra beat, you can play it as if Adriana’s heart has skipped a beat, in this case at the mention of her love, Antipholus.
Next Adriana asks Antipholus a question, which shifts the tone from wistful and gentle to perplexed. Throughout this speech, it is important to note that Adriana is responding to an Antipholus who does not even recognize her. In order for the speech to have its full power, Adriana must react to Antipholus’s apparent amnesia at ever having known the woman who he married. Remember to exploit these baffling circumstances to maximize the dramatic impact of this monologue.
Shakespeare uses repetition throughout this passage, which you can use to drive Adriana’s point home and give the speech dynamics. The first two words in the monologue are the same: “Ay” and “Ay.” Make the second “Ay” louder and more powerful than the first. “That never” is repeated four times in a row. Use that repetition like a hammer, emphasizing Adriana’s
