Two Gentlemen of Verona
nytheatre.com review by Amy Bradley
August 5, 2010
In the Elizabethan era plays were written and performed for the audience in a manner very unlike the realistic acting we see today. Judith Shakespeare Company's production of The Two Gentlemen Of Verona creates a performance fit for Shakespeare's style and world.
The beginning montage prepares the audience for this particular form of theatre. With mugging poses, miming gags, and jokes associating with reversing gender roles, the audience is welcomed with open arms into the world of the play. The phrase, "match the word to the action, the action to the word" MUST be used when describing this particular performance. This technique keeps the piece moving and very entertaining.
The vocal technique is exemplary for the most part in this show. Utilizing rhetoric tools to bring the words off the page and to life. Sheila Joon in particular gives a beautiful performance, creating Proteus's struggle before our eyes and allowing the audience to travel the arc of her character.
The most entertaining thing about this show if the opportunity it gives to women. Tradition was thrown from the window with the casting approach: All the male roles are played by women, and all the female roles played by men. This bold and unusual choice makes the show funny by heightening the comedy. This particular performance, directed by Joanne Zipay, is something all audiences would enjoy, and is recommended for the whole family.
