The Aquila Theatre Company has “freed the spirit” of Shakespeare’s Comedy of Errors and wrapped it up in a bright bow for San Diego audiences. And what a gift it is. It’s madcap all the way with this production, currently being staged at the Mandell Weiss Theatre at La Jolla Playhouse.

The storyline has been tightly adapted by Robert Richmond to accentuate the crazy turns of events in the Bard’s first comedy. While traveling aboard ship, Emilia gives birth to identical twins. Egeon, the proud husband and well-to-do merchant, purchases identical twin boys who will shadow his twin sons as servants. Shakespeare named both of the sons Antipholus and both of the servants Dromio, just to add to the fun. The ship wrecks on the high seas and the family is separated.

The story of the shipwreck is deftly related to the audience through a marionette show with the human puppets “acting out” the adventure in a broad, slow-motion, slapstick version of the events. It’s total pandemonium on board the ship but the story’s prologue is captured well by the crew of entertaining marionettes. The silent introduction ends and the umbrella-ed puppet theatre is quickly and smoothly replaced by three collapsible tents of bright red, purple and yellow and a cleverly designed date palm tree.

This is a production that easily pleases the senses of sight and sound; it’s a visual delight.

The tents and the palm have a playful life all their own, inflating and deflating as the emotions of the story surge and recede, achieving an almost human expressiveness in their scenic shenanigans. Kudos to the production design team of Robert Richmond and Peter Meineck. The actor’s costumes are equally vibrant, contrasting Western culture with Turkish, while the lighting design further complements and integrates the colors of the set and the clothing design.

The rollercoaster ride begins its steep ascent years later, as Adriana (Lisa Carter) and Luciana (Lindsay Rae Taylor), sisters, speak to the heartache inherent in being married and unmarried, respectively. Adriana is the wife of philandering Antipholus (Richard Willis), while pigeon-toed Luciana falls head over heels with the other (twin) Antipholus (also played by Richard Willis). Louis Butelli plays both of the Dromios in a non-stop, physically draining tour de force performance. The twisting, turning, fast-paced ride whirls you around and, just as you catch your breath, it’s another plunge into hysteria. This show is designed to suit the needs of young and old; the text is easily accessible and understood. Bring kids or Granny and everyone in between.

The entire cast claps to the beats of dialogue like a metronome; they tumble and roll, they tango and belly dance, they run in place, they sing cabaret style, and they slither in a conga line. All ensemble actors are excellent.

The underlying textual theme can still be identified amongst all the mayhem: family and personal identity juxtaposed against environment and circumstance and how they influence one another.

If you can’t have a good time at this show, you are not breathing. Go!

Comedy of Errors plays at the Mandell Weiss Theatre through Nov. 13, 2003. Call for ticket information at (858) 550-1010.