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Youth Theatre Reviews |
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Two Gentle(wo)men of VeronaBy William Shakespeare, adapted and abridged by Pete Meakin Review by Steve Orme (2005) University drama groups are similar to other non-professional organisations in that they may not have a huge choice of actors for certain parts. Pete Meakin, senior lecturer with Derby University Theatre Arts, faced the dilemma of having more young women than men for his final production before he takes up a new post as head of arts and events with Derby City Council. So he ingeniously did a gender swap with the main characters for the play which he describes as "one of Shakespeare's least-performed minor masterpieces - or should that be mistresspieces?" The Two Gentle(wo)men of Verona is a clever, enjoyable success. Often directors have ideas about Shakespeare which fail dismally once they're brought to life. Here, though, the concept works, largely because of the actors in the two lead roles. Caroline Bliemel, a German who has been in this country for only a couple of years, is little short of sensational as Protea. Tall, sensual and with flowing red locks, she has the talent and the charisma to be convincing as the vamp who betrays her best friend in a bid to seduce her man. Shelley Alexander as Valentina is the complete opposite, the innocent, girl-next-door type who you feel sorry for when Protea does her worst. The Two Gentle(wo)men of Verona begins with the cast singing The Tender Trap, an excellent choice to open the show which is set in a 1950s jazz club. However, some of the singing in the other numbers is a little weak and the cast's movements are occasionally stilted. All the action takes place in the club, which obliterates the problem of changing scenes between Verona, Milan and the forest. Meakin keeps all the cast on stage even when they're not involved in a scene. This becomes distracting. The continual "oohs", "aahs", giggles and gasps from those at the back of the stage when they're reacting to the main action becomes tiresome after only a short time. In an attempt to maintain pace, some of Shakespeare's comedy is lost, especially with the appearance of the outlaws. As well as the two main roles, I enjoyed the perky performance of Jude Savage as the insolent page Speed and the solid portrayal of Silvio by Chris Sparham. These second-year theatre arts students have differing levels of talent yet they all come out with honours for their enthusiasm and application.
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