Delaware Shakespeare’s 2025 Community Tour presents Two Gentlemen of Verona

This play (c.1589, likely the Bard’s first work) has two leading men, as well as the comic servants, lovely ladies, nobles, and exotic locales (here, Italy) that Elizabethan audiences expected. Six Del Shakes actors take on all 13 named roles (plus outlaws) in this intricate play, changing characters by changing garments.

Two gentlemen and a dog

Noble best friends Proteus (Owen Corey) and Valentine (Tyler S. Elliott) are heading in different life directions. Proteus, in love with Julia (Elena Nahrmann), plans to stay in hometown Verona and woo her. Valentine heads for adventures at the Milanese court, where he falls for Silvia (Jameka Monet Wilson), daughter of The Duke (Frank Jimenez).

But Proteus also soon finds himself in Milan, where he too falls for Silvia, who spurns him as avidly as he now spurns his former love. The duke wants his daughter to marry inept Thurio (Mykey Carpenter), but she stays true to Valentine. A jealous Proteus foils their romance and betrays his former friend. The plot spirals in complexity to include a band of Robin-Hood-like forest bandits, along with lots of music (by Matthew Mastronardi, played by violinist Christina Foye) and dancing (choreography by Adiah Simpson).

The play also has two famous comic servants—clever Speed (Nahrmann in a whirling tour de force) and dully self-absorbed Launce (Carpenter), accompanied by his dog Crab. (Yes, this is “the play with the dog”.) Some productions have real animals—one is on the boards in Virigina right now – but here he’s a wonderfully realized puppet (by designer Kasey Britt), skillfully manipulated by several actors. Though Launce berates Crab as “a cur”, this charmer is the antithesis of his name, a sweet shaggy beast who responds to all of Launce’s taunts with enthusiastic wags and who (as you’d expect) was an audience hit.

A comedic problem play

This year’s tour goes through October 18, with 10 free performances (four in closed venues), plus a few ticketed shows and a closing gala. Audiences are greeted by the actors and seated around a central rectangular playing space, with costumes on racks and prop tables in full view. I attended two performances, in the band room of Alexis I. DuPont High School (free) and on the stage of the Salesianum School auditorium (ticketed).

A play in the Shakespeare canon is a “comedy” not because it’s overtly or even consistently funny; the designation means it’s not a tragedy or a history. And Two Gents, as it’s colloquially known, is a sort of problem play, its serious theme of abandonment and treachery balanced (sometimes precariously) with the comedy.

This show is directed with speed and dispatch by Hannah Levine. She’s crafted a two-act production that draws heavily on the play’s comic potential—slapstick staging with references to commedia dell’arte. It’s a valid choice, but the broadly drawn first-act characterizations challenge the actors to cogently change course in the evening’s second, more serious half. Throughout, the actors meet these directorial switchbacks with aplomb but mixed success.

The play is often considered controversial for confirming romantic treachery, something Levine confronts directly. She’s changed the play’s conclusion (no spoilers; it’s in the printed program), eliminating Shakespeare’s happy wrap-up where both couples reunite and all is forgiven. At the end here, Proteus is left alone to face the results of his villainous choices.

Clever mismatches

Lighting is whatever overhead illumination the venue provides, and the set/props designer Britt crafted a series of colored boxes moved comically by huffing actors wearing feathered plastic hard hats. Here, costumes are integral to the narrative success, since actors swap out clothing parts (hats, shawls, capes, etc.) to delineate the multiple character changes. Teal Knight’s jaunty upcycled costumes reference stage history but sit squarely in the present.

Doublets were created from reconstructed denim jackets or hoodies; pantaloons are festooned with brocade strips; and players wear patterned tights with sneakers. These cleverly mismatched costumes contribute mightily to the production’s comic verve, but they function less effectively when Levine’s production turns more serious.

Shakespeare for everyone

One of the tour’s hallmarks is its overall accessibility. At the start of each show, actors state that there’s no need to worry about understanding every word, encouraging attendees to “let the story wash over you” and stating that pre-knowledge is absolutely not required. And in both early performances I saw, the diverse audiences were enthusiastic, participating when called on and often responding vocally to the action. Two Gents may be one of the Bard’s least cogent plays, but the Del Shakes ensemble’s Italian journey is a mostly delightful one.