The Two Gentlemen of Verona
The Other Place
Stratford-upon-Avon
⭑⭑⭑☆☆

WELL, it’s summer, and Stratford is full of visitors. Moreover, this may well be a way of introducing the kids to the Bard — all good reasons for a show that might best be described as heavy rock fun punctuated by Shakespeare. 

However, how those who come to see a rarely aired production of one of his early romantic comedies respond — with evidence from a large predominantly young audience who loved it — and that suggests that the box office will be delighted.

To be fair, a play which touches on no serious emotional or philosophical depths and has been seen as a dry run for later major works like As You Like It, offers itself for interesting treatment.

Its plot is focused on the conflict between male friendship and love rivalry.

Great mates, Valentine and Proteus are separated when the former goes off to the court of Milan to be educated, leaving the latter to enjoy his love for Julia. When forced to join Valentine, he immediately transfers his passionate affection to Sylvia, already Valentine’s girlfriend.

When the plan for Valentine and Julia to elope is betrayed by his friend, the action moves to the forest where all can be happily resolved.

If the young cast find the few patches of Shakespeare’s lyrical language slightly awkward, Jonny Kahn and Lance West as Valentine and Proteus and Aisha Goodman and Suan Stephens, their respective girlfriends, make a very convincing quartet playing these teenage games.

As in other productions I have seen, the star is inevitably Proteus’ servant Launce’s dog, who has been called Shakespeare’s greatest non-speaking role. Crab’s unruffled equanimity is eloquent when accused by his owner who has had to save him from severe punishment for pissing under the Duke’s table, stinking out the chamber, a crime for which Launce has self-sacrificingly owned up to.

Two Gentlemen is a short play which, nevertheless, director Joanna Bowman has cut to 80 minutes — a measure perhaps recognising current concentration spans with a generation brought up on ever-changing injections of entertainment moments and with a seemingly inexhaustible appetite for pop music.

Runs until August 31. Box office: 0789 333-111, rsc.org.uk.