A night at the theater could be the perfect night on the town. You get to watch a play that could make you cry, laugh, mad and even have a brief intermission for you to try and understand what the heck it was that you just saw. “The Two Gentlemen of Verona†is just the right play for a night out.
As the play commences, we learn that the main character, Proteus, is in love with Julia, and Julia has proclaimed her love for Proteus as well. His best friend is Valentine, and he is in love with Silvia, and she loves Valentine too. Silva lives in the city of Milan, and Valentine leaves Verona to be closer to her. As the production goes on, Proteus follows Valentine. Soon, he is in love with Silvia, and betrays his friend’s trust to woo her.
The role of Proteus, portrayed by Sheila Joon, was the ideal example of the back-stabbing best friend. Her acting was on-point, convincing and full of energy from start to finish. Valentine, played by Rachel Hip-Flores, was the audience favorite as the lover who was banished by his friend.
Julia, played by Alvin Chan, stole the show. It was apparent that she was deeply in love with Proteus, and was heartbroken when he left Verona and headed to Milan to start a new life. Silva, played by Hunter Gilmore, was the most effeminate and believable as a female character.
The actors did an amazing job with the switch of the gender roles. The audience seemed to be too surprised and amused by the men playing female characters. It seemed to be that the men in female roles were funnier than the women in the male roles. Effeminate men must rub them the wrong way. Regardless of the heckling, it was fun to watch their examples of gender expression.
The plot was a little uninspired. The happily-ever-after portion after Valentine discovered the truth about Proteus’ lies seemed to be unrealistic, and it was too easy to switch from anger to forgiveness within a few lines. Valentine is to be married to Silva, and Julia forgives Proteus and they are to be married as well. It is not the best play in the world, but that is how Shakespeare wrote it, and that is how the cookie crumbles.T
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