Two Gentlemen of Verona
by William Shakespeare

For neither the first nor last time, Mixed Salad's production of Two Gentlemen of Verona is haute modishly recast, with the romantic protagonists as film stars, vying for the same leading lady.

The dashing Brad Valentine has left Verona for greater fame and fortune in Milan, where he charms a silver-shoed starlet named Silvia.

When Brad's old mate Ben Proteus arrives in the fashion capital, he, too, falls for the comely Silvia, and Brad is betrayed and banished back to Verona to await the inevitable resolution.

While Bardophobic indignities and brutal editing would likely consign a purist to bedlam, it was hard not to offer it up and go with the flow.

James Edwards and Adam Tuominen are not just good as Valentine and Proteus; they are thoroughly likeable, Proteus's pernicious behaviour notwithstanding. Their beloveds, Silvia and Julia, are played by Jamie Hibbert and Natasha St Clair Johnson.

A large supporting cast includes standout performances from Sue Wylie as the superstar agent Ann Duke (Duke of Milan, geddit?) and Nicholas Ely as Proteus's servant Lance, camping it up in thin-lipped manner, and accessorised with a Chihuahua.

Director Dave Simms has elicited decent performances from an unevenly experienced company, so grab a glass or two of the Two Gentlemens red they're peddling at the bar and enjoy.

Peter Burdon, The Advertiser, 30 October 2007

Two Gentlemen of Verona, an early comedy by William Shakespeare contains many comic elements that Shakespeare was to use later.

I was pleased to watch these embryonic routines and try to match them with the later and more polished versions. Mixed Salad’s current production at The Studio of the Holden Street Theatres is delightful to watch. Dave Simms, the director and Sally Putnam, the dramaturg have taken the world of upper class gentry of the sixteenth century and turned it into the present day world of spoiled brat film stars and all that goes with it. They have done some compression of characters and text and a lot of gender bending; and it works.

The two gentlemen of the title are friends Valentine and Proteus, scions of wealthy houses in Verona who have reached the journeyman stage of their lives. Valentine goes off to serve the Duke of Milan where he falls in love with the Duke’s daughter Silvia. Proteus stays because he has fallen in love with Julia. But his father rules that Proteus must go to Milan and, after an exchange of rings with Julia and swearing eternal devotion, Proteus joins the court of Milan where he too falls in love with Silvia. But the Duke has already promised her hand to a boring rich friend Thurio.

Proteus betrays Valentine and Silvia’s elopement plans to the Duke and is given the job of wooing Silvia for Thurio. The banished Valentine falls in with some robbers – gentlemen robbers, of course – and Silvia, after spurning both Thurio and Proteus, runs off to find Valentine.

Meanwhile Julia has disguised herself as a boy, Sebastian; comes to Milan to find Proteus; catches him in the act of trying to woo Silvia and is recruited to carry his love letters and a gift of the very ring that Julia gave Proteus. You’ll be amazed to learn that everything turns out well.

Yes, it is a silly story and it becomes even sillier in this modernised production but the talented company make it work. Two Gentlemen of Verona runs smoothly and the actors work well together. The lovers are all film stars and instead of parents and the nobility it is the agents and publicity people who rule the roost. The court is a film set. It all makes good sense and, if there are any cracks they only appear after the show and don’t interfere with its enjoyment.

James Edwards is a most heroic Brad Valentine and Adam Tuominen adapts to all the facets of Ben Proteus. Jamie Hibbert is sophisticated as Silvia and very hockey-sticks as Lucetta, Julia’s trainer. Natasha St Clair Johnson is everything we could want from Julia and she makes a very attractive boy. Sue Wylie, playing a blend of the Duke of Milan and Proteus’ father, brings a gruff paternalism to the role. Glen Christie as Jack Thurio is sleazy, overbearing and subservient; a difficult combination, yet he makes it work.

The clowns and devoted servants have been replaced by personal assistants and gofers and are well handled by Nicholas Ely, Damien Carr and Rosemary Jackson. Both the comedy of the clowns and the pomposity of the servants come across well. All the cast double up as film crew, party goers, bar staff and the robbers, or drug dealers in this case. I just would not continue using Natasha St Clair Johnson as a drinks girl; she has too much stage presence to blend into a background. Oh, and the dog is remarkably well behaved.

I came to Two Gentlemen of Verona with some trepidation; wondering if such a radical transformation would work. I left the theatre delighted with the performance. It seems a real pity that the young people at whom Two Gentlemen of Verona is aimed are very unlikely to see it because of the time of the year.

Myk Mykyta, Radio Adelaide, 30 October 2007

Two Gentlemen of Verona is one of Shakespeare's lesser-performed early comedies.

So credit to Mixed Salad for giving us a chance to see this nicely nuanced display of requited, unrequited, blind and betrayed love.

It shows the Bard gently feeling his way with the testing of love, the exile of emotion, the switching of identities and the pleasure and pain for those involved.

Director Dave Simms has decided to update the story to starstruck Hollywood which worked for the audience but not for me. Nevertheless, it's a slick, accessible production that goes for broad laughs and constant caricature in the shallow seas of instant stardom.

Simms has cast the show well and the ensemble delivers with energy and passion. James Edwards as the banished Valentine is a standout and Adam Tuominen is suitably slimy as the two-timing pitiful Proteus, Jamie Hibbert shines as the object of much affection, Silvia, but it is Natasha St Clair Johnson who really captures the true Shakespearean double-dealing style.

She handles the varied load of comedy, sympathy, empathy and hidden identity with elan, and is a talent to watch for the future.

When Act II finally shakes off the Hollywood premise and just relies on the excellent dialogue the show really comes into its own.

It is only when you are able to forget this is supposedly on a film set and in paparazzi-packed Hollywood that the show really comes into its own.

Well done to Nicholas Ely for this entertaining double act with the tiny canine Tomasito, and there's great support from Glen Christie as the safari unsuited suitor Thurio, Rosemary Jackson as a touchy dealer and Sue Wylie as the studio boss Duke.

There's a great spirit and energy in this show. It's just a shame Verona doesn't come into the picture, on or off set, gentlemen.

Matt Byrne, Sunday Mail, 28 October 2007

I have to confess to belonging to that group who say “I’m a Shakespeare fan, but…”.

I love his poetry, his skill, and, as an actor, getting into the groove of delivery is an absolute joy; but if it all fails to engage and entertain an audience, it’s all just so much self-pleasuring.

So, bravo to Dave Simms, director of “Two Gentlemen of Verona”, for causing an auditorium of people to be thoroughly enchanted. Simms has taken a modern eye and surgeon’s knife to this early Shakespeare play, placing the actors in our celebrity-obsessed movie culture. He’s also had the courage to remove any scenes that reduced the pace, and, while keeping the original poetry, lobbed a few more modern terms into some of the lines. The result is a work that’s light, colourful, zippy, cheeky and – heaven forbid – entertaining!

The cast tackle the play with gusto and the Hollywood stereotypes crackle.

James Edwards’ (Brad) Valentine is suitably, soppily in love, and Adam Tuominen is sleazily on the nail as (Ben) Proteus when his love for Julia is transformed into lust for Silvia. Special mention of Jamie Hibbert as Silvia/Lucetta, transforming wonderfully from a Sharon Strezleckistyle personal trainer into a purring siren - and back - a number of times during the play. Natasha St Clair Johnson is movieworld royalty as the Paltrow-esque Julia, betrayed by Proteus and disguising herself as a boy to uncover his lust for Silvia. Nicholas Ely is hilarious as hairdresser Lance, with little Tomasito the chihuahua a scene stealer as Crab the dog.

There’s good use of lighting (Kate Aylward), especially for the stop-action ruminations of some of the principals, and costume (Nicole Rutty, Lyndal Selleck) and set design (Louise Dunn) work consistently to portray the Rodeo Drive domination of fashion.

One disappointment was the dodging of a controversial part of the denouement of the play as Shakespeare wrote it. Traditionally, to cement the proposition that love of a friend takes precedence over that of a lover, Valentine offers to ‘give’ Silvia to his friend Proteus. However, in this day and age you’d probably need another couple of hours to dissect that issue alone, and just letting everyone live happily ever after is probably the better part of discretion.

“Two Gentlemen of Verona” Mixed Salad style is most definitely up-to-date Shakespeare. The purists will have a fit, but the applause from the groundlings will almost certainly drown out their cries.

Maggie Moore, Adelaide Theatre Guide, 29 October 2007