"Two Gentlemen of Verona" a cool, summer comedy
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By SUSAN HAUBENSTOCK | Special Correspondent
Published: July 11, 2011
Published: July 11, 2011
Midsummer is bard time, and the second offering of Richmond Shakespeare Festival is "Two Gentlemen of Verona," given an amusing production at Agecroft Hall. Under the direction of Molly Hood, this early Shakespearean effort delivers its chuckles, but not the belly laughs of some later, sharper comedies.
Smartly, Hood adopts the Richmond Shakespeare practice of punching things up with music. It's a welcome addition, from Michael Brown's opening number to the country-and-western finale (with Todd Patterson's lovely serenade in between), backed by musicians Jake Allard and Cory Dunn.
Hood sets the play more or less in 1950s America, with cheerful period costumes by Virginia McConnell. The conceit is that pals Valentine and Proteus and their girlfriends Julia and Silvia behave pretty much like moody teenagers. They fall in and out of love intensely and betray one another with seeming ease. Authoritarian parents thwart them; rivals beset them.
But because it's Shakespeare and not Patty Duke, there are also nutty servants providing great humorous interludes. Speed (Austin Graham Seay) and Launce (Jonathan Conyers) get funny bits and scenes to play, and both actors are terrific, as is Claire the dog, with whom Conyers bravely shares the stage.
The rhythm of the language is especially pleasant in this production, coached by master of verse Jared Mercier, but Hood permits a fair amount of unnecessary shouting. Her pacing is snappy, though, and the plot's wrapped up tidily in two hours.
Standout performances are given by Thomas L. Cunningham as the inconstant Proteus, Laura Rikard as heartbroken Silvia and Jay O. Millman as Silvia's suspicious father, the duke. Laurel Maughan is a delightfully girlish and slightly hysterical Julia, charming when disguised as a boy. And David Janosik is winning as the emotional and sincere Valentine, displaying nobility in his constancy and in his ability to forgive the despicable behavior of lifelong friend Proteus.
It's a slight comedy, not too taxing to the brain, like an Italian ice on a summer evening — cool and sweet.
Smartly, Hood adopts the Richmond Shakespeare practice of punching things up with music. It's a welcome addition, from Michael Brown's opening number to the country-and-western finale (with Todd Patterson's lovely serenade in between), backed by musicians Jake Allard and Cory Dunn.
Hood sets the play more or less in 1950s America, with cheerful period costumes by Virginia McConnell. The conceit is that pals Valentine and Proteus and their girlfriends Julia and Silvia behave pretty much like moody teenagers. They fall in and out of love intensely and betray one another with seeming ease. Authoritarian parents thwart them; rivals beset them.
But because it's Shakespeare and not Patty Duke, there are also nutty servants providing great humorous interludes. Speed (Austin Graham Seay) and Launce (Jonathan Conyers) get funny bits and scenes to play, and both actors are terrific, as is Claire the dog, with whom Conyers bravely shares the stage.
The rhythm of the language is especially pleasant in this production, coached by master of verse Jared Mercier, but Hood permits a fair amount of unnecessary shouting. Her pacing is snappy, though, and the plot's wrapped up tidily in two hours.
Standout performances are given by Thomas L. Cunningham as the inconstant Proteus, Laura Rikard as heartbroken Silvia and Jay O. Millman as Silvia's suspicious father, the duke. Laurel Maughan is a delightfully girlish and slightly hysterical Julia, charming when disguised as a boy. And David Janosik is winning as the emotional and sincere Valentine, displaying nobility in his constancy and in his ability to forgive the despicable behavior of lifelong friend Proteus.
It's a slight comedy, not too taxing to the brain, like an Italian ice on a summer evening — cool and sweet.
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