Review: TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA Is Where Shakespeare Began

Reviewed by Barry Lenny, Saturday 7th May 2016

The University of Adelaide Theatre Guild is presenting one of Shakespeare's earliest, his first comedy and possibly even his first play, Two Gentlemen of Verona, a comedy that is not often staged. It is co-directed by Gary George and Angela Short, both of whom are first-time directors for the Guild and bring with them a wealth of experience. They have chosen to set the production in the current time which, unlike many of the plays that have been updated, works quite well. As comedies go, this is a strange beast, with some very unpleasant dramas going on at the same time as the laughs.

Two lifelong friends, Valentine and Proteus, are about to go their separate ways, with Valentine going to Milan to further himself and Proteus remaining in Verona to be near the girl he loves, Julia. In Milan, Valentine has met and fallen in love with Julia, the daughter of the Duke, and she has fallen for him, even though her father has arranged her marriage to Turio (originally Thurio). Antonio, the father of Proteus, decides that he should join his friend in Milan and orders him to go, which he does, after exchanging rings with Julia.

Arriving in Milan, however, he also falls for Sylvia and informs the Duke that she and Valentine plan to elope. Caught out by the Duke, Valentine is banished, and falls into the hands of an outlaw band, and they promptly make him their leader. Meanwhile, back in Verona, Julia has had her maid, Lucetta, dress her as a boy and she travels to Milan to become a servant to Proteus, in order to be close him.

Matthew Chapman plays Valentine, who is far too trusting for his own good. Even when double-crossed by Proteus he doesn't manage to work out how his attempt to elope with Sylvia was discovered by the Duke. Chapman gives his character a subtle level of naïvety which he allows to gradually fade as Valentine grows, through his exposure to the big city. Chapman neatly portrays the transition of the town boy adapting to the city ways and becoming the hero of the piece, winning the girl of his dreams.

Proteus, a quite appalling man by today's standards, is played by Alex Antoniou. When Sylvia is captured by the outlaws after running away from her father, he rescues her and expresses his love. When rejected he threatens to take her by force, but is prevented by the arrival of Valentine. Antoniou presents his weak-willed and amoral character in as comical a light as he can at this point, drawing on the earlier comedy associated with his interaction with Valentine to carry his character through this section and allow us to believe that Valentine, Sylvia, and Julia forgive him. It might have worked in the Bard's day but it is a little hard to swallow today, in spite of Antoniou's best efforts to keep it as light as possible and quickly gloss over the attempted rape.

Sylvia, the girl that no man seems able to resist, is played by Kate van der Horst, who makes Sylvia a bright and bubbly young lady, giving her character a sparkling personality, and not relying merely on good looks and being the daughter of the Duke to give the men a reason to be attracted to her. This approach is far more realistic and adds depth to what could have been a stereotype in the wrong hands.

Bonnie McAllister plays Julia, innocent and shy about revealing her love for Proteus at first and then, unable to stand being parted from him, drawing on an inner strength to travel in disguise to be with him. McAllister skilfully demonstrates the changes in Julia in the face of adversity and loss.

The first prize for stealing scenes, though, must go to Diesel the dog, with the assistance of Matt Houston, in their roles of Lance (originally Launce), the manservant to Proteus, and his dog, Crab. Diesel could not have been better behaved or more appealing, with the cast happy to pet him and feed him small snacks to keep him occupied. Audience members were equally keen to spend time with him after the performance. Houston had his work cut out for him, keeping up with such a consummate artist as Diesel, but he did it. It is not the first Shakespearean role that Houston has played and he brings that experience to bear on this role, giving a sterling performance.

Michael Vo's design and Richard Parkhill's lighting combine to transform the Little Theatre into all of the locations and times of day and night with a minimal of fuss, keeping set changes so short that they are hardly noticed.

There were mixed, but generally good performances contributed by the rest of the cast, but a bit more attention to diction would be worthwhile as some dialogue was rushed and, with Shakespeare's language being often hard to follow anyway, clear enunciation is most important. It might have been due to opening night nerves, as it did improve as the play progressed.

It is likely to be many a long year before this play is staged again so, if you enjoy Shakespeare, this is an opportunity not to be missed.

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