Carson Elrod as Dromio of Syracuse and Gregory Wooddell as Antipholus of Syracuse in “The Comedy of Errors.” (Photo by Scott Suchman via Shakespeare Theatre Company)

I had an English teacher in high school who taught us Shakespeare by having us stand up and read all of the lines out loud. “When did the plays of Shakespeare become the works of Shakespeare?” she would ask, emphasizing that people went to his shows to have a grand ole time and drink some ale, not to show off their highbrow bona fides.

The ethos of the bawdy Bard is in full effect in Shakespeare Theatre Company’s take on “The Comedy of Errors,” one of his earliest plays. Replete with tap-dancing policemen, fart jokes, and a Linda Blair-quoting parrot, this mistaken-identity-filled farce doesn’t take itself too seriously.

The play is set in a seedy-seeming Greek town during a decidedly non-Shakespearean era. The set, designed by James Noone, has a Girls! Girls! Girls! strip club and a shout out to Zorba’s. In case the opening musical number, with references to Zoloft, has you thinking you wandered into the wrong room, an opening monologue quickly disabuses you of the notion. Shipwreck! Twins! Only one day before certain death at the hands of a duke! Yep, this is a Shakespearean comedy alright.

The plot goes like this: There are dual sets of twins that each share the same name, two named Antipholus, each with a servant called Dromio, that were separated shortly after birth. One pair (Christian Conn and Carter Gill) landed in a Greek town called Ephesus and established themselves there, Antipholus’ wife (Veanne Cox, channeling the great Christine Baranski) included. At the start of the play, the other pair (Gregory Wooddell and Carson Elrod) lands in Ephesus so that Antipholus can seek out the dude who shared the womb with him.

Madcap moments of confusion ensue!

You might think that if one Antipholus literally came to the city to find his twin, he might ponder whether all of this confusion might be proof that he succeeded in his mission. Or maybe, that people would stay put for more than two minutes to hash out why everything is going haywire suddenly. Stop thinking so much. You’ll ruin the fun.

And for the most part, this show is a rolicking good time. All of the actors are game and skilled physical comedians, and the ones entrusted with singing and dancing (mainly Eleasha Gamble and Matt Bauman) do so incredibly well. A conversation between the visiting Antipholus and Dromio comparing a woman’s body to the known map of the world is another stand-out. This Shakespeare guy is damn clever, and Wooddell and Elrod make his words shine.

Luckily, the instances of false imprisonment or beatings that befall some of the characters aren’t a buzzkill because none of them elicit much sympathy. They’re all kind of jerks, and that’s for the best, really, considering what a bad day they’re having.

Shakespeare scholar Bertrand Evans notes that “The Comedy of Errors” is a rare Bard show where no one on stage knows about the charade of deceptions that are (accidentally, in this case) taking place. By the final 15 minutes, though, I was ready for everyone to figure it out. Aside from that, direction from Alan Paul keeps things moving zippily towards their inevitable conclusion.

If you seek what modern audiences might consider a typical William Shakespeare performance, this ain’t it. But if you’re looking for the kind of vibe that might have enticed a playgoer to shell out a hard-earned penny a couple centuries back, knock back some ale and enjoy.

The Comedy Of Errors runs through October 28 at Lansburgh Theatre (450 7th Street NW), $44-$118.