The Two Gentlemen of Verona
Great River Shakespeare Festival
June, 2012
Ryan Fonville, Evan Fuller
“Verona hums along at the Great River Shakespeare Festival – and not just because of Milwaukee composer Jack Forbes Wilson’s catchy music and arrangements. Director Paul Mason Barnes sets the play in the late 1950s, and it works.
“Barnes’ staging relies on ingenious sight gags and clever vignettes, many of which revolve around games – an apt metaphor for what’s going on among the young lovers and their quick-witted servants.
“Fuller and Fonville” (Proteus and Valentine) do “justice to the light and the dark in their characters’ troubled friendship, allowing us to see Verona as an early draft of a theme Shakespeare would frequently revisit, all the way through to ‘The Winter’s Tale’.”
Mike Fischer
Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel
“All that starts well ends well at the Great River Shakespeare Festival in Winona. The opening weeend performance of The Two Gentlemen of Verona started with singing and showmanship and closed with a lovely set piece, followed by more singing.
“This is Shakespeare? Yes it is, exactly as you like it. Don’t worry purists, the words, the wordplay, the puns, the story arc are all still there. But the Great River Shakespeare Festival continues to show that Shakespeare need not be stuffy and incomprehensible.
“Along the way, this company, led by music director Jack Forbes Wilson, has developed a finely tuned sense of how music can complement and enhance the productions.
“It helps, of course, when The Two Gentlemen of Verona is set during the 1950s, as director Paul Barnes has chosen to do. That allows the cast to open – and close – with a couple of Sam Cooke songs, “Cupid” and “Wonderful World.” And since the play is set in Italy, we even get a verse sung in Italian.
“As always at the Great River festival, the acting is subtly superb. Characters come to life, their traits are quickly established, and there is rarely a noticeable wobble.
“Still haven’t made it to the Great River Shakespeare Festival? This production of The Two Gentlemen of Verona would be the ideal introduction. It’s a crowd-pleaser from start to finish.”
Tom Weber
Rochester Post-Bulletin
“Director Paul Mason Barnes’ love of the text and stories of Shakespeare shines out in this simple tale of four young people whose passions tempt them into risky decisions.
“Barnes’ handling of Shakespeare’s comedies always has an underlying core of truth and consequences. We are well aware that the characters have each gone on a life journey that has fundamentally changed them.
“A beautifully spare and elegant set, designed by Eric Stone, is perfect for the story, and the costumes by Meg Weedon are 1950’s chic. Barnes likes music in his plays and has collaborated with the brilliant Jack Forbes Wilson to bring a perfect mixture of 1950’s pop, Italian crooner tunes, and some lovely original music to the production. It’s always a thrill to hear the terrific singing voices of these GRSF company members.”
Kathy Peterson
Winona Post