The Comedy of Errors (more or less) at Shakespeare North Playhouse

Kristy Stott, Theatre Editor

Book now

The Comedy of Errors (more or less)

3-25 March 2023

Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.

The Comedy of Error at Shakespeare North Playhouse
Image courtesy of Patch Dolan.
Book now

Shakespeare North Playhouse is pleased to mark the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare’s First Folio with a lively new adaptation of The Comedy of Errors (more or less), a co-production with the Stephen Joseph Theatre.

The First Folio is the first published collection of Shakespeare’s plays. Collated and assembled in 1623, seven years after his death, the First Folio is hugely important – as without it, many of Shakespeare’s most celebrated works would never have survived. Now, four centuries on from its publishing, Shakespeare North Playhouse celebrates the First Folio by bringing a new translation of Shakespeare’s most revered farce, The Comedy of Errors to the stage.

The perfect blend of mistaken identity and theatrical slapstick alongside some banging musical numbers.

Taking place in the 1980s – an era of big hair, huge phones and even larger shoulder pads – The Comedy of Errors (more or less) promises the perfect Shakespearean blend of mistaken identity and theatrical slapstick alongside some banging musical numbers.

Take one bonkers day at the coast, two rival states and two sets of mismatched twins and you have the basis of Shakespeare North’s production of Comedy of Errors.

When an actor from Lancashire arrives in a Yorkshire seaside town to perform his ‘magnificent’ one-man show, he is without an audience – as everybody has already booked tickets to watch a Talent Show across town starring the twin brother he has never met. Meanwhile, over on the other side, his twin brother is banking on winning the talent show to pay off all his debts and buy his wife the gold chain he promised her…

Packed with twists and turns, chaos and anarchy.

Packed with twists and turns, chaos and anarchy, the narrative plays out: will the twins ever discover each other? Will they find out how they became separated? And more importantly, will either of their shows make it to the stage?

Following the run at Shakespeare North Playhouse, Comedy of Errors (more or less) plays at the Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough from 30 March to 15 April 2023.

Where to go near The Comedy of Errors (more or less) at Shakespeare North Playhouse

Family 1
Liverpool
Park
Knowsley Safari Park

Have a wild adventure at the Knowsley Safari Park, and get up close to lions, rhinos, camels and more from the comfort of your car.

Knowsley
Tourist Attraction
Knowsley Hall

Situated on a private walled estate, Knowsley Hall has been in The Earl of Derby’s family for over 600 years and is usually reserved exclusively for private events and filming.

Alexandra Park, St. Helens

The 1960’s, grade II listed Alexandra Park is the former home of Pilkingtons Glass Head Quarters in St. Helens. 

St. Helens
Dream
at St Helens

Dream is a 20 metre high sculpture located on the former site of Sutton Manor Colliery in St Helens, designed by world-renowned and award-winning artist, Jaume Plensa.

library
Shop
The Reader, Calderstones Park

The Reader brings people together through a shared love of literature and their home is in the beautiful Calderstones Park in Liverpool.

family 3
Liverpool
Imagine That

Imagine That is a children’s play centre in Liverpool, with art, science and imagination zones to encourage creative fun and free play.

What's on: Theatre

Until
FestivalsChester
Storyhouse in the Park

Four open-air productions, films under the stars and frozen cocktails in the park – Chester’s doing summer right.

Free entry
Image courtesy of 53two
TheatreManchester
Maria at 53two

The UK premiere of a lesser-known Simon Stephens play explores love, isolation and the search for human connection.

From £15.00
Encounter Festival 2026
FestivalsLancashire
Encounter Festival in Preston

Preston comes alive with outdoor theatre, live music, dance and family-friendly creativity in one of the North West’s most joyful festivals.

Free entry
Mrs Dalloway at HOME
TheatreManchester
Mrs Dalloway at HOME

Jen Heyes and Kit Green breathe thrilling new life into Virginia Woolf’s modernist classic with an inventive theatrical reimagining.

From £16.20

Culture Guides

Matt Spratt.
Music

Aphex Twin-endorsed electronica, an eight-hour organ marathon and the most exciting band in Ireland's current folk revival all feature this month.

Food and Drink in the North

Squeeze the most out of these final weeks of summer thanks to our mid-August guide to food and drink in Manchester and the North.

Theatre in Manchester and the North
Theatre

From intimate dramas to spectacular outdoor festivals, discover the North West performances worth adding to your diary.

Exhibitions

Summer isn’t usually a high point in the exhibitions calendar, but Greater Manchester’s small galleries seem to have made a pact to change that this year.

Emily Lloyd-Saini as Grace in Space and Harrie Hayes as Lieutenant Strong in Horrible Science
Family things to do in the North

Whether you’re after storybook theatre, museum wanderings or illusion-bending play spaces, there’s plenty to keep curiosity ticking through winter and beyond.

A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night
Cinema in the North

There's no shortage of great films out at the moment, whether you're looking for the latest blockbuster, that hot arthouse flick fresh from Cannes or a cosy classic.