The Two Gentlemen of Verona

Many people think this could have been Will’s first play, and you can tell why. It moves like a beginner play, with long passages that feel like they’re treading water until a good bit comes along. If you were to cut this play down to just the good bits, though, you’d leave out the entire plot line and most of the characters. Actually, you’d probably leave out everything but Launce’s monologue about his dog and Sir Eglamore’s two scenes.

The central conflict of the play could be the question of whether a man's friend is more important than his girlfriend. Or it might be about the importance of being true to your word. Take your pick. The play seems to flail around for a point of focus, and never seems to find one. Proteus (one of the two gentlemen) ditches his girlfriend and double-crosses his best friend for the sake of a woman who has no interest in him whatsoever. All the main characters end up miserable for a while, and then when the play’s gone on long enough, there’s suddenly a resolution where everyone’s happy. 

The BBC/Time Life version of the play does little to improve it. The cast is OK but not great, and the director’s vision simply wasn’t up to the task of making this play enjoyable. Launce and his dog are funny, the other servant is obnoxious, and the cheap sets often make as much noise as the dialogue. I wish the disc had included captions.

The bright light of this production is Frank Barrie who plays Sir Eglamore gloriously over-the top. He spends way too little time on screen, and is in my opinion, the best character in the play.

I wasn’t able to find another recording of The Two Gentlemen of Verona in Minerva or on Amazon. I listened to the Arkangel audio play many years ago, but I don’t feel the need to listen to again.

It appears there was a musical stage version in the early 1970’s starring Raul Julia. I couldn’t find any evidence that it was filmed, and I couldn’t find it online or on Minerva. It would be interesting to see someday.