The Two Gentlemen of Verona (& Sonnet 104) – Barons Court Theatre

Relentless, quick-witted, fast-paced, surprising. Shakespeare has not yet said everything he had to say.

The approach taken by Evan L. Barker in this new staging of Shakespeare’s The Two Gentlemen of Verona is to set the action in a school environment, redefining and giving new meaning to the situations the characters are put through and their decisions in that context. The apparent freedom of the cast in the performance, while being strict with the words and rhythm of the piece (abridged and adapted by the same Barker), gives it a solidity and integrity that further contributes to a contemporary interpretation of the play.

The audience is received by a character painting on stage. After a short very intense introduction where the actors rile up the audience and set the tone with juvenile interactions between them and some visitors, the action starts between Valentine, played by Hugo Papiernik, and Proteus, by Paul Surel. These two gentlemen will be in love with Julia, played by Tor Leijten, and Sylvia, by Lavinia Grippa. The cast also includes Harry Rose as Lance, Izzi McCormack-John, delivering both incredible funny Luccetta and Thurio, Alun Rees as very satisfying Speed and Host characters, Lucas Taylor as Antonio and a very powerful Duke, and Bradley Luckett and Rosanna Vikberg as Outlaws.

The cast is uneven in its performance, with some highs and lows, and some actions appear to be unjustified. However, the general energy flowing between the scenes keeps growing from beginning to end. Papiernik is heart-warming and charming, even when becoming an outlaw, and Leijten is absolutely incredible in her path from a childish girl in love to a heartbroken young woman. Remarkable is her speech as Julia/Sebastian near the end of the play, when having her epiphany of love.

A contradictory performance is, on the other hand, that of Surel playing Proteus. Powerfully ambiguous, the young “gentleman” becomes a villain soon, and the actor really puts a lot into it, highlighting the hypocrisy and shallowness of some love speeches, and the violence hidden behind them. This interpretation of the text is of many possible and could be a perspective on why the author chose to create a character so voluble and variable in his feelings, leading to a violent outcome.

Ending as it did, the original text has not aged very well, and the decisions in the text and the action that come up at the end of this staging of the play render a perfectly clear message, that classics are not immune to the pass of time, and that a young Shakespeare (and an old one as well) can and should be discussed by young artists today. The disruptive energy of the consequences of the actors, and the changes made to them, felt like waking up from a dream that we had been living for nearly two hours. And the Sonnet 104 became part of that transition between the world of dreams and the rest of the evening.

The play is unapologetically adolescent, with breaks from one scene to the other, and a commitment with the path taken. There are no announcements of the play starting, or for the intermission. The intimate setting of the Barons Court Theatre is a perfect space, and the sound and music, by Taylor and Rees, respectively, only make it better.

An intense ritual of youth. If Shakespeare were alive, he would have come to see this piece.

Reviewer: Gonzalo Sentana

Reviewed: 7th April 2023

North West End UK Rating: ★★★★