The Boys from Syracuse

The Boys from Syracuse is a musical by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, based on William Shakespeare's play, The Comedy of Errors, as adapted by librettist George Abbott, who also directed. The original production opened at the Alvin Theater in New York on November 23, 1938, and ran for 235 performances, and starred Jimmy Savo, Eddie Albert, Muriel Angelus, and Marcy Westcott. The show was successfully revived Off-Broadway in 1963 and, less successfully, on Broadway again in 2002. There have also been London productions and a film version (1940).

Following Shakespeare's play closely, the plot details the adventures and romantic mix-ups of long-separated identical twins Antipholus of Ephesus and Antipholus of Syracuse, whose servants, the two Dromios, are also long-separated identical twins. The witty and melodic score, one of the best by Rodgers and Hart, often leaves period behind to indulge in swing and other contemporary rhythms, and includes the songs "I Had Twins"; "Dear Old Syracuse"; "What Do You Do With a Man?"; "Falling In Love With Love"; "The Shortest Day of the Year"; "This Can't Be Love"; "Ladies of the Evening"; "He and She"; "You Have Cast Your Shadow on the Sea"; "Come With Me"; "Sing For Your Supper"; and "Oh, Diogenes!"

The lines of this musical are all contemporary English, except for one instance. To produce a laugh, one line from the play is spoken, whereupon another character says, amazedly, "Shakespeare!"

A U.S. Air Force National Gaurd unit based out of Syracuse, New York is named after this musical.