Review: THE TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA, RSC
Photo credit: Helen Murray
The Two Gentlemen of Verona is thought by some as one of Shakespeare's weaker plays and in this early comedy, he explores devices that he uses in some of his later more successful plays. A cross-dressing heroine, two pairs of crossed lovers and several comical servants are at the centre of this story.
The RSC ‘s latest production at the smaller Other Place, a few minutes’ walk from the main houses at Stratford Upon Avon, strips back the lines and the darker elements but retains most of the basic plot narrative of the original play to create a eighty-minute show aimed firmly at a younger family demographic as a first introduction to the Bard.
The Other Place may appeal to a less formal first Shakespeare experience audience, but older members should be warned that the unnumbered seating means a queue extending outside the venue formed early with a thirty-minute wait to be admitted. However, once inside, the leg room is good although the back rows are bar stools. The outside venue used last year for As You Like It felt a more welcoming location for these first introductions to his work.
When Valentine (Jonny Khan) leaves Verona for Milan with his servant Speed (Tom Babbage), he is followed by his friend Proteus (Lance West) and then later by Julia (Aisha Goodman) dressed as a man called Sebastian. Both Valentine and Proteus fall in love with Sylvia (Sian Stephens). However, most scenes are stolen by Proteus’ servant Launce and his dog Crab. Stu McLoughlin as Launce looks like a cross between David Bradley as Filch in the Harry Potter movies and David Threlfall as Frank in Shameless, and demonstrates wonderful control over a scrawny looking Crab. It’s a delightful comic portrayal and amusingly elicited a cry of Bow-Wow from a small child in arms in the audience! Clearly the RSC’s intent in appealing to a younger audience is working. The remnants of the Forest outlaws sub plot makes a fleeting and unexplained appearance. Sylvia spends most of time partially hidden in a cage on a gantry above the stage.
The cast are dressed in modern costumes, and any sense of location is lost with the overall feel that all the action is taking place in a southern England night club under a neon sign of '“Love is Blind”. We are left in no doubt that this is a play about love. As we await the start, we hear the Beatles’, ‘All You Need Is Love’, Madness’ ‘It Must Be Love’ and Soft Cell’s ‘Tainted Love’ to reinforce the theme of the play. However, these classic songs from late 1960’s to 1980’s merely highlight the weakness in the original music in the show, although all played with plenty of enjoyment by the actor musicians in the cast.
The problem is that the result leaves the characters thinly sketched and their motivations unclear for sudden changes in relationships or locations. The pace and musical interludes plus the energy of the enthusiastic cast seeks to sweep the audience along to create a fun and lively show but without any character depth. An eighty-minute running time without an interval may have been better as two forty-minute acts as the attention spans can weaken for both young and older audiences especially if we don’t care about any of the characters.
We applaud the RSC’s desire to attract younger audiences and introduce them to Shakespeare’s work, and this is a light-hearted romp through the tale, enthusiastically delivered by a largely young cast but as we left, we were thinking if this was your first experience of his work, would you not wonder how his works have lasted so long?
*** Three stars
Reviewed by: Nick Wayne
The Two Gentlemen of Verona plays at the RSC’s Other Place until 31 August, with further info here.