Three Inch Fools: Perfect riot of Englishness as Shakespeare's Comedy of Errors finds its ideal setting
Whether you love or hate Shakespeare, I have found a rib-tickling production of Comedy of Errors that will fill your heart with joy and pride for everything old English.
There can be no greater, quintessentially English experience than this. The comedy, the deliberate errors, the genius adaptation around accidental errors and the sense of fun was something most productions can only dream of achieving.
How can a cast of four play all the characters who appear in the same scene at the same time? Well that, dear reader, is something which you will have to discover for yourselves. But rest assured, individually the four members of Three Inch Fools are hugely talented. Together they are a riot of rowdy wonderfulness. They even managed to build into the play a central theme around time, with this being Shakespeare's shortest play.
The Three Inch Fools are touring their two new shows, come rain or shine, in the great British outdoors at over 80 different venues across the UK.
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Two sets of twins separated by disaster, one desperate wife, several cons and mishaps all over the place. It is one of the very best literary classics if you need a good laugh out loud. Done well, it is comedy perfection. Our group was made of three generations. Both my son at 12 and my mum were laughing equally, which isn't easy to achieve.
I have been to my fair share of outdoor theatre but was cruelly tricked by what was, in English terms, a gloriously sunny summer day. An hour into the show and we were freezing cold. Word to the wise, take coats, blankets, whatever you need when the sun starts to go down - no matter what the temperate when you arrive.
But this is England and that is all part of the fun. After all, it is hard to imagine a more perfect setting. The imposing stature of Wentworth Woodhouse in South Yorkshire made me feel as if I had stepped back in time. The riot of purple from an old rhododendron bush behind the stage, off-set with classic green's of this sceptred isle, were picture perfect.
Old-fashioned instruments and fabulous musical skills make you almost feel as if you're a lady of the manor from bygone times. Add in a simple, wooden set and costumes which at times, literally have to fly through the air to ensure the correct player treads the boards, and the scene is set.
I'm still smiling at the thought of this evening. Forget the multi-million pound television productions which international tourists love. Every visitor to these green shores should experience this production of a Comedy of Errors to see the very best of Britain - culture, talent, humour and all. Fools on tour - music, mayhem, fast and furious ... more please.