Two Gentlemen of Verona has been a play about which I have always had mixed feelings. However, the production at Shakespeare and Company which is running until September 4 is enchanting on every level. The acting, the movement, the music, the comedy, every element blended together to make the play work as it doesn’t always. I was eager to talk to the actors about how they had created this magic. I have learned this season that to understand why Shakespeare’s characters behave as they do, one should ask the actors.
This interview with the director, Jonathan Croy and actors Tom Brazzel and Ryan Winkles was informative. However, since we were focused on the actions of the two gentlemen, we did not discuss some of the other characters who were also captivating. The young women who are the objects of the gentlemen’s affections could also be discussed at length, as could the comic genius of John Hadden and Jason Asprey. In Shakespeare’s comedies, much humor comes from the secondary characters such as servants, relatives and in this case a band of pirate men (and women, as Bella Merlin kept reminding the audience.) One interview does not do justice to this production. However, you will gain much insight by clicking on the interview below and going to see the play by September 4.
Two Gentlemen of Verona Interview
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