The Two Gentlemen of Verona

Fiasco Theater’s

The Two Gentlemen of Verona

Theatre for a New Audience

April 25, & May 7, 2015

Deirdre M. DeLoatch and I went to see Fiasco Theatre’s The Two Gentlemen of Verona at Theatre for a New Audience a week apart.  We decided to share our thoughts on the show together.

Photo courtesy of Fiasco Theatre

Deirdre:  After seeing many Shakespearean tragedies over the last year, I looked forward to watching one of his comedies.  I enjoyed a recent performance of Hamlet and A Winter's Tale considerably more than The Two Gentlemen of Verona.  Considering the script, this contemporary performance adds both another dimension and depth to the play via props, costumes, set design, and lighting that helps the audience view the play in a contemporary manner instead of fostering nostalgia for the Elizabethan era.

Domenick:  The breakdown of the script and the consolidation of the cast to a solid, strong ensemble of six actors created a flowing, comprehensive, and pleasant two hours.  The directors, Jessie Austrian and Ben Steinfeld, clearly have a strong knowledge of Shakespeare and insight into the story lines and themes of this comic love story.  They found the heart of The Two Gentlemen of Verona and interpreted it with delight and care.

Photo courtesy of Fiasco Theater

Synopsis (from Deirdre):  Shakespeare's The Two Gentlemen of Verona, a romantic comedy and purportedly Shakespeare's first play, is the story of love, friendship, and betrayal.  Valentine is in love with the lovely Sylvia; his best friend from Childhood, Proteus, is in love with Julia. Proteus, upon meeting Sylvia at the Duke's Court immediately surreptitiously professes his love for her, although he heretofore professed his love for Julia.  Proteus is aware that he is betraying his best friend but he decides to woo Sylvia in spite of behaving duplicitously.  Sylvia, however, has been betrothed to Thurio, a suitor for whom she has no interest.  Julia disguises herself as a man, so that she can reunite with Proteus.  She eavesdrops on Proteus's conversations to find out information about Proteus and Silvia.  Valentine is banished by Silvia's father, the Duke, preventing his love for Silvia from prospering.  During his banishment, he continues to pine for Sylvia, as Proteus desires to plot and scheme to get Sylvia.  In the end, Proteus and Julia salvage their relationship and profess their love; Similarly, Valentine and Sylvia, with the blessing of her father, join together in love, as he realizes that Thurio does not have the depth of character as Valentine.

Deirdre:  This fine youthful ensemble cast adds to the success of the play.  When one thinks of marriage, youthfulness is usually apparent.  Many of the characters play multiple roles that allow us to see the professional skill of the actors playing varied and distinguished characters.  Before the play starts, the cast is on stage jovially playing with each other and engaging in conversations about the lighting and how they will look on stage.  It is obvious that they all work well together.

Domenick:  I agree.  The ensemble was fabulous.  They were skillful and fun and worked together seamlessly bringing joy and passion to every moment.  

Deirdre:  Zachary Fine plays both Valentine and Crab, the dog.  His emotions are somewhat melodramatic especially when he is banished and he is not able to see his beloved Sylvia.  That scene seems to be cloying with extreme sentimentality. The love that he has for her is affective to the extent that the audience feels his emotions, which move us to empathy.  

Zachary Fine as Crab & Andy Grotelueschen as Launce
Photo courtesy of Fiasco Theater

Domenick:  The characterization and interactions of Crab, the dog, were fun and charming.  Mentioning this first by no means takes away from Zachary Fine’s performance in his primary role of Valentine.  The scenes with Crab added just the right amount of fun and frivolity to the mood of the production.

Deirdre:  Noah Brody, as Proteus, illustrated the character well for we see how Proteus is a cad because he allows us to see his own reflective thoughts aptly about his dishonorable actions. 

Domenick:  Jessie Austrian was charming and feisty as Julia.  Her ability to color and shade her monologues with tactics that clarified the text and engaged the audience was skillful and entertaining.

Emily Young as Sylvia & Jessie Austrian as Julia
Photo courtesy of Fiasco Theater

Deirdre:  Emily Young is adorable as Sylvia. Her pulchritude is evident.  We can see why Valentine loves her and why Proteus has fallen for her as well.  She is lovely with her beautiful white dress (symbolizing her purity) and exquisite beauty.  The deep love that Valentine and Sylvia have for each other is evident and can be seen through the great chemistry that is depicted throughout the play.  The characters exhibit great emotion when their reflection, passion, and despair are all needed to match the events in the play.

Domenick:  Andy Grotelueschen played three roles (Launce, the Duke, and Antonia).  The differentiation of his roles was clear and sharp.  His Antonio was especially witty and charming.

Deirdre:  The set, designed by Derek McLane, is not elaborate but its simplicity adds to its simple elegance.  

Domenick:  I agree.  I found it whimsical, light, and fun.  It was sheets of paper, crumpled and flat, in a mosaic collogue along the upstage, stage right, and stage left walls.  It also draped from the ceiling.  The white of the paper reflected the color of the lights as the scenes, moods, and time shifted.  The sheets of paper were representative of how many love letters were sent throughout the play, and connected to the sentiment in the closing line of how sharing a story reveals how you are through the writing.

Deirdre:  The red paper on which one letter is written in Act II is fabulous when it is torn to pieces.  It is as if Valentine's heart is bleeding from over sentimentality.  When each piece hits the stage with great lighting punctuating both the love that he is feeling and the hurt by his inability to consummate his relationship by marrying Sylvia.  Lighting, designed by Tim Cryan, is also used as a way of changing the color of the crepe paper on the set.

Domenick:  The second act had a lot more hutzpah than the first.  The action rose and the energy excelled as the plot became full of intrigue.  My favorite scene was in the forest in Act II when Sylvia confronts Proteus and confesses her love for Valentine.  Valentine forgives Proteus for acting like an untrustworthy fool, and Julia reveals herself from behind her disguise.  It all came together in a high point of action and enthusiasm. 

Photo courtesy of Fiasco Theater

Deirdre:  Although, this play is not my favorite and the story lacks both the power and intrigue of Shakespeare's tragedies, the modernization of this rendition helps one place himself into the lives of the characters who are similar to youthful romantic couples of today.  The set is minimalist; but the acting is great.  The whimsical nature of the play makes the audience to both chuckle and smile and subsequently say, “Bravo.”  Thus, in spite of a nearby audience member's exclamation, “I had forgotten how dumb this play actually was,” I actually enjoyed it for the comedy in which it was intended.  Although not as stimulating as Hamlet or Macbeth, it is no less worthy of great commendation for the direction it was given by the creative team and for the talented cast that delivered a great performance.

Domenick:  I truly enjoyed The Two Gentlemen of Verona.  This was my first time experiencing a Fiasco Theatre production.  They have a list of credits to their name from the past few seasons including Into the Woods at Roundabout Theatre.  I intend to make a point to see more of their work in the future.  The level of quality is very high. 

Deirdre:  I saw the Fiasco's production of Into the Woods at the Roundabout Theater.  The acting was vigorous which brought the drama to great height.  After seeing the production, I ordered the music from the original production with Bernadette Peters because I wanted to stay connected to Stephen Sondheim's music.  Seeing that production was the impetus for seeing the Fiasco's production of The Two Gentlemen of Verona.  I knew that their rendition of this work would be excellent.

Domenick:  I love the space at Theatre for a New Audience.  The classic theatre design allows every seat to have a great view of the performance space, even the higher up, less expensive seats.   They are producing great theatre in downtown Brooklyn at reasonable ticket prices.  Get there early, like I do, and enjoy a snack in the lobby café before the performance.

Deirdre:  I am looking forward to The Public Theater's Performance of The Tempest and Cymbeline (I've neither read nor seen Cymbeline) at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park.  I hope that they will be just as ebullient with vivacity as The Two Gentlemen of Verona.

Domenick:   The Drilling Company is also producing The Two Gentlemen of Verona in association with Bryant Park from May15 – 31 on the Upper Terrace.  The performances are FREE, Fridays and Saturdays at 6:30 PM, and Sundays at 2:00 PM.  Knowing the quality of the Drilling Company, this is sure to be a great production as well.

Photo courtesy of Fiasco Theater

Fiasco Theater’s The Two Gentlemen of Verona runs until May 25 at Theatre for a New Audience in Brooklyn (across the street from BAM).  Go to see it before it closes.  Add to the conversation Deirdre and I started here by writing your comments about this or any other upcoming Shakespeare productions in the city. 

Domenick Danza

Deirdre M. DeLoatch