Two Gentlemen of Verona - The Musical
Posted on July 11, 2007
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Last night, some friends and I went to see the Free Will Players‘ production of the Two Gentlemen of Verona. It was a musical version of the play which was, to say the least, odd.
I always find that it takes me at least a scene or two to get my head into Shakespearean English (sometimes longer if I’m just reading a play, and not actually seeing it performed). It took me a little longer than usual with this production, because all of the music was written in contemporary English. The back and forth between Shakespearean and contemporary English was a little jarring at first, but eventually I caught on.
The play was Shakespeare, and yet it wasn’t. It’s actually quite difficult to describe. It felt like Shakespeare, but it also felt like an original musical. There were also a few lines (mostly quick one-liners of only a couple of words) that were added in for comedic effect. I was momentarily annoyed by this, but quickly realized that if Shakespeare were writing today, he’d have probably included very similar lines. (Of course, he probably be writing sitcoms and soap operas, but that’s beside the point.)
Frankly, I don’t know what to say, other than it was a good show. It was odd, for sure, but it was very entertaining. If you’re in the Edmonton area, you should definitely check it out (the Festival runs until July 22). If you aren’t able to see the production here in Edmonton, keep an eye out for a production in your area. I’m pretty sure this particular production doesn’t get used a lot, but if you ever have the chance to see it, it’ll definitely be worth it.
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[...] Players decided to stage this production, though, because I much preferred it to the production of Two Gentlemen of Verona that I saw last week. Even though the cast is consists of the same actors, some of the better [...]