Observation of a Production of Shakespeare's The Two Gentlemen of Verona

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Observation of a Production of Shakespeare's The Two Gentlemen of Verona

The Two Gentlemen of Verona

Shakespeare Bulletin Review

Presented by ILLINOIS SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL at WESTHOFF THEATRE, Normal. IL. July 3-August 5, 1994. Directed by Calvin MacLean. Set and lighting by Kent Goetz. Costumes by Dan Wilhelm. Sound and music by Rick Peeples. Choreography by Connie de Veer. Fights by John Sipes. With Darrel Ford (Speed). Keytha Graves (Julia), Ted deChatelet (Proteus). Brian Herriott (Valentine), David Kortemeier (Antonio, Outlaw), Robert Kropf (Launce), Philip Thompson (Thurio), Patrice Wilson (Silvia). Randy Reinholz (Panthino, Eglamour), Steve Young (Duke of Milan), Timothy F. Griffin (Host), Jason Maher (Outlaw), Meredith Templeton (Lucetta), Isaac Triska (Outlaw), and others.

By Justin Shaltz

In this production of The Two Gentlemen of Verona, major characters are introduced as they participate in different sporting events. While each vignette is frolicsome, one individual in each is revealed to be rather competitive. The play opens with a spirited fencing match between Proteus and Valentine, both dressed in white and wearing dancing masks. Proteus is the more aggressive combatant, as he will be the more aggressive romancer, pushing Valentine backward and pursuing him. Julia and Lucetta make their subsequent appearance with bow and arrow, taking turns shooting at a large onstage archery target. Lucetta punctuates her verbal points about love and romance with resounding accurate arrow-shots. Then Antonio is seen practising his putting on a make-shift green while chatting with an obsequious and heavily-oiled Panthino. While Antonio laboriously readies himself for a simple putt, crouched low over a golf ball, Panthin...

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...pology, she is open-mouthed with shock, and when Valentine offers her to Proteus in marriage, she swoons and faints. Similarly, Julia only grudgingly accepts Proteus' hand. When Valentine concludes the play with a blithely vigorous "One mutual happiness!", the men cheer and jubilantly exit the stage, ignorant of the wounded feelings of the ladies. Valentine and Proteus are followed offstage by the clowns, the Outlaws, Thurio, and the Duke, but Julia and Silvia stay behind. The women appear stunned as they sit together on a tree-log at centerstage. Valentine and Proteus return moments later, smiling and holding their arms out to them as if nothing has happened. Julia and Silvia stand and walk away, then turn and glare fiercely at the men. The lights go out, and the consequences of the romantic escapades are made vividly apparent, thwarting the expected happy ending.

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