Preview of 'Two Gentlemen of Verona' at Stratford Library

Pictured: Valentine (Lawrence James) and Proteus (Tim Marriot) start out as best bros and are later rival for the same woman’s affection in Hudson Shakespeare Company’s August production of “Two Gentlemen of Verona” touring North Jersey and CT.

Hudson Shakespeare Company of Jersey City presents

Two Gentlemen of Verona

The Hudson Shakespeare Company of Jersey City returns for the final installment of its 24th annual Shakespeare in North Jersey parks with perhaps the Bard’s very first play “Two Gentlemen of Verona”. The show will be running at only one location in Connecticut.

Saturday, August 22, 2pm, Stratford Library, 2203 Main Street, Stratford, CT

Bring a lawn chair or blanket. In the event of rain or extreme heat, performances will be held in the Lovell Room. Free and open to the public.

Each summer season the Hudson Shakespeare Company loves to present lesser done Shakespeare with unique spins or even present dubious works attributed to Shakespeare such as last month’s “Arden of Faversham” set in the 1950s. However, these days doing Shakespeare set in its original time period is the exception rather than the rule. “Sometimes you just want to see a good old fashioned sword fight in tights,” jokes show’s director, Jon Ciccarelli.

“Very often we look present a new angle on a Shakespeare title or expand on something that we’ve seen another group try but with “Two Gentlemen of Verona”, we’re going back to basics and presenting a romantic comedy about two best bros, Valentine played by Lawrence James and Proteus played by Tim Marriot fall in love with the same woman Sylvia played by Susie Duecker in a Renaissance time frame with Italian sword play and music. This basic love triangle is complicated by fact that Proteus girlfriend Julia played by Noelle Fair, is a little miffed at Proteus leaving her and falling for another woman and in typical Shakespeare style dresses up like a boy to chase after him. The play is also peppered with the usual Shakespeare clowns, the best part written for a dog and its a lively adventure romp in the tradition of “The Princess Bride”, Ciccarelli said.