When you go to see a Shakespeare play, you may expect to see long dresses, balconies and swords. What you may not expect to see are Solo cups, Sperry’s and pant suits. Colleen Kelly, guest director of the University’s drama department’s production of Two Gentlemen of Verona, chose an interpretation that turns Milan into a college town and servants into fraternity pledges. Kelly, a former University drama department faculty member, was asked to direct the performance because of her wide variety of experience with Shakespearean plays, including her current position at the American Shakespeare Center in Staunton, Va.
“Shakespeare doesn’t have to have be flowing gowns and flowing hair,” fourth-year cast member Folami Williams said. “You can shape the language of Shakespeare into whatever interpretation you think works.”
There can be no doubt in the audiences’ mind that this is what the cast and crew of Two Gentlemen of Verona have done. Though the set represents, for the most part, a Verona and a Milan that are older and antiquated, the costumes and music choices represent a decidedly more modern feel. During scene changes the audience will be able to enjoy Kelis’ classic song “Milkshake” and Michelle Branch’s “Goodbye to You,” evoking the feel of a romantic comedy.
“It was difficult to get a feel for it at first,” said Jamie Coupar, the play’s sound designer and a University graduate. “But it was a lot of fun putting together an overplayed teen movie sequence.” The scene featuring “Goodbye to You,” which recalls many, many chick flicks, is complete with a cliché goodbye scene in the rain between two young lovers.
Despite all the trappings of a stereotypical teen love story, this show promises to deliver Shakespeare’s play at its best. The experienced cast knows that while the appearance of the show is modern and fun, there is still some depth and beauty of language in the play.
“The students were cast very early and had Winter Break to work on their scripts,” Kelly said. “They were well prepared for rehearsals and were thus able to contribute to the creative process and interpretation.”
Though the interpretation seems lighthearted and fun, it doesn’t make the show any easier for the cast.
“Shakespeare scares most people,” Williams said. “Being able to take this intellectual idea of Shakespeare and make it your own and then give it to the audience, it isn’t easy.”
But despite the language and the question of whether this specific interpretation of college life applies to the source material, the audience will be able to relate to the show. With strong undercurrents of the strength and flexibility of friendship and the necessity of forgiveness, Two Gentlemen of Verona is a comedy that, like all of Shakespeare’s comedies, has a deeper message if you choose to see it.
“The two gentlemen are friends, brothers in a sense,” Kelly said. “They have a loyalty that prevails at the end, a bond that can endure. What we all agreed on is that this is about young people and new experiences, when morals and beliefs are put to the test.”
This basic idea is what led the creative team to the idea of a Greek-related scenario. College in itself is a new experience that tests its students, but fraternity and sorority life especially relates well with the themes present in the play.
Whether you enjoy the intricate and beautiful language of Shakespeare, or you really enjoy romantic comedies and Greek life, Two Gentlemen of Verona is sure to entertain.
The show’s run will continue to this weekend with shows April 22 to 25 at 8 p.m.
Read More
The best albums of 2014
By Noah Zeidman | December 4, 2014Across genres, it has been a pretty great year in music.
Top 10 movies of 2014
December 4, 2014This has been an excellent year for film, offering everything from gripping blockbusters to innovative personal films.
Iggy Azalea is “Reclassified”
December 4, 2014It has become common practice among music artists to repackage their albums in an effort to simultaneously boost single sales and dish out new content by slightly renaming the album or slapping “Deluxe” onto the title.
