The Brothers Menaechmus (or Menaechmi) is a second-century B.C. comedy by the oldest Roman comic playwright whose work survives, Plautus. Known for his slapstick and verbal wit, Plautus is a precursor of modern situation comedies; this play is the direct source for Shakespeare's Comedy of Errors and Rodgers' and Hart's The Boys from Syracuse. The Brothers Menaechmus tells the story of twin brothers separated in childhood by a vile kidnapper. Now adults, they find themselves in the Greek city of Epidamnus. They meet everyone in the city, except each other. Even the one brother's wife—and his beautiful courtesan lover—cannot tell them apart. Featuring a cast of clueless twins, clever slaves, seductive prostitutes, quack doctors, burly sailors, disgruntled wives, gourmet chefs, tottering fathers and even a hungry parasite, The Brothers Menaechmus will leave its laughing audiences seeing double.
