The hilarious West End musical has posted closing notices this week: the final performance will be on 30 October. Having seen the show three times, I guess I’ll have to be content with continuing to snigger at the soundtrack on my commute to work.

In other news, Alf from Home and Away, sorry, Ray Meagher is going to star in Priscilla Queen of the Desert The Musical from 30 September. Ray’s playing mechanic Bob in the London production at the Palace Theatre, a role he first played in 2007 in Sydney.

And finally for musicals this week, Anna-Jane Casey is to lead the cast of Bells Are Ringing at the Union Theatre this autumn. Casey  is currently starring in the fantastic Comedy of Errors at the Open Air Theatre. From 29 September, she’ll play Ella Peterson in a rare revival of this Broadway musical, scored by Jule Styne (Gypsy, Funny Girl) with a book by Betty Comden and Adolph Green (Singin’ in the Rain, On the Town).

Last but not least for this week, I’ve got news of the Old Vic’s new season. Highlights include:

• Noël Coward’s unconventional rom-com Design For Living (3 Sep-27 Nov), starring Tom Burke, Andrew Scott, and Lisa Dillon
• Feydeau’s A Flea In Her Ear (4 Dec to 5 Mar), a comedy of misunderstandings with the lovely Tom Hollander and Lisa Dillon again, directed by Richard Eyre
• Cause Célèbre by Terence Rattigan (17 Mar to 11 Jun), directed by Thea Sharrock, who also directed Rattigan’s After The Dance, currently playing at the National

Artistic director Kevin Spacey says:

“These are three great plays that all rather brilliantly explore the attitudes of their time and offer wonderful roles to actors. I am delighted to welcome Lisa Dillon, such a compelling and exciting young actress, to our stage in two productions, alongside Tom Burke, whose work I’ve admired since we acted together in the movie Telstar, and Tom Hollander, one of the finest and funniest leading actors of his generation. We are also delighted to be part of the centenary celebrations for Terence Rattigan and I can’t wait to see Thea Sharrock translate his work to the stage.”

Read the full quote on the SOLT website.

It was a fantastic evening for the opening of The Comedy of Errors last night: warm, with barely a breeze, and Regent’s Park’s beautiful Open Air Theatre audience was on fine form.

Shakespeare’s early comedy about two sets of twins and a lot of mistaken identity is the second show in the Open Air Theatre’s season. And I loved it.

Director Philip Franks has transported Epheseus to 1940s Casablanca for this production; the cast sport stylish 40s suits and dresses, with big, glamorous Hollywood-filmstar sunglasses. The Courtesan, played by Anna-Jane Casey, is now a nightclub owner, while the twin servants (both called Dromio) wear fezzes and seem to suffer more than usual in the heat of this foreign-feeling place.

This is a Comedy of Errors with an emphasis on the comedy. It’s not a terribly subtle production (gorilla suits and burlesque dance pieces in particular!), and knows exactly where the humour can be found in both Shakespeare’s text and in additional clever moments of slapstick.

As Antipholis of Syracuse, Daniel Weyman does a fantastic job of building the confusion and bewilderment throughout the play. I also enjoyed the performances of Joseph Kloska and Josh Cohen as the twin servants Dromio. Kloska’s hilarious description of a fat kitchen maid as a map of the world (with obligatory puns on the “Netherlands”) was brilliant, and made me think of just how incredibly timeless some of Shakespeare’s comedy can be.

The incredible attention to detail means you probably don’t spot all the intricate little looks, precise puns, and comedy in the crowd scenes the first time around. This is ensemble theatre at its best: when everyone on stage is working to create a perfect tableau. It all comes together beautifully.

But if you’re a fan of the sillier side of Shakespeare’s early stuff, as well as the snatches of sublime poetry that accompanies it, for example, in the tear-jerkingly happy ending, I would really recommend seeing this show.

The Comedy of Errors plays at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre until 13 July. Book tickets here