The Monroe County Civic Theatre and Bloomington Parks and Recreation are presenting a very enjoyable evening of Shakespeare with the comedy "Two Gentlemen of Verona" outdoors in Third Street Park.
"Two Gentlemen of Verona" has a remarkably straightforward, single plot that was easy to follow in the Civic Theatre performance. Two friends, Valentine played by Craig Owens and Proteus played by Andy Cambridge, become rivals for the ladies Julia played by Allison Clark and Silvia played by Sina Kramer. There are plenty of complications to keep things interesting.
Saturday night’s audience was treated to a tidy, well spoken performance that offered a range of acting from the boisterous comedy of Bob Service as the servant Launce, the sauciness of the maid Lucetta played by Amalia Shifriss , the outright silliness of Martin Wilson as the disappointed swain Thurio and the touching emotional speech of the jilted Julia played by Allison Clark.
"Two Gentleman of Verona" is early Shakespeare. We hear a young writer delighting in his skill with language. Puns and word play abound. Mike Price has directed his cast well and they project that delight. Chris Ramsay’s work with the sound system was much appreciated