Guildford’s theatre scene is in double trouble this summer – and for all the right reasons. Two of the town’s most respected companies, Guildford Shakespeare Company and the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, have joined forces for the first time to stage The Comedy of Errors and A Company of Rascals – and the result is gloriously funny.

I’ve already seen the production, and it’s ambitious – but it’s also a riot. There are two plays: The Comedy of Errors, performed with the audience in traditional seats facing the main stage, and A Company of Rascals, staged across five locations in and around the newly refurbished Yvonne Arnaud. A single cast performs both plays, and the evening is a masterclass in comic timing and inventive storytelling. Shakespeare’s farcical tale of mistaken identity is paired with Phil Porter’s witty new companion piece, set in the same world and offering a tongue-in-cheek glimpse behind the scenes.

Performers dart between the two plays – sometimes within the same breath – moving from stage to corridor, foyer to riverside. The choreography is meticulous but never feels rigid. Instead, there’s a sense of joyful spontaneity. The Comedy of Errors isn’t your typical Shakespeare – it’s Shakespeare meets pantomime, full of slapstick comedy that had the audience howling – while A Company of Rascals delivers a fresh, self-aware twist that doesn’t take itself too seriously.

The cast, shared between the two plays, is uniformly strong, relishing the physicality and wordplay of both texts. Joanna Read, Artistic Director of the Yvonne Arnaud, had her work cut out – but she pulls it off.

Starring Robert Duncan (Drop the Dead Donkey, Twelve Angry Men), Sara Crowe (Four Weddings and a Funeral, The Way Old Friends Do), and Guildford Shakespeare Company co-founder – and Robin Hood panto star – Matt Pinches.

This is the sort of ambitious, collaborative theatre Guildford rarely sees – and it works beautifully. Whether you opt to see one play or both, this is a thoroughly entertaining evening of high-energy, high-concept comedy that’s as smart as it is silly.

To see both plays is an all-day event, with one showing as a matinee and the other in the evening. It’s not necessary to see both – but why not treat yourself and enjoy the full story? The theatre is offering a combined offer with a £20 discount when buying tickets to see both A Company of Rascals and The Comedy of Errors.

The Comedy of Errors and A Company of Rascals run until Saturday, July 26. Don’t miss them.