Noticias

As the sun sets in Town Park, Kevin Douglas and Susa Smith rehearse a scene against the backdrop of the Box Canyon mountains.

Two best friends fall in love with the same woman they just met — it’s the quintessential rom-com — from the 16th century. The Two Gentlemen of Verona is coming to Town Park Stage July 19–27 for Telluride Theatre’s annual Shakespeare in the Park.

“There’s two friends, one travels abroad, the other one is sent abroad by his father, they both fall in love with the same woman, and antics ensue with betrayal and lies and deceit, and then the whole time the women are just awesome and the idiots are dumb,” said Niko Pantovich Gonzales, who plays Lance.

Though Shakespeare’s Two Gents was written in the late 1500s, Director Jim Cairl is presenting the show with a 1990s theme.

“When I read the play again, I was trying to find relevant points to today. And one thing that really hit me was, it felt very much like a ’90s rom-com — specifically, it reminds me of Can’t Hardly Wait,” Cairl said.

“I feel like there’s often a 20-year period where we start to look back on things with nostalgia, and we are right in that ’90s–early 2000s transition time, so it felt right for now,” he said.

Cairl is returning to direct Two Gents after taking over the direction of last year’s Shakespeare in the Park production, Twelfth Night.

“Being invited back, and meeting all new people, and seeing the talent in the community, and how willing they are to step up and play and explore the text, it is just, it’s an easy show, it is an easy cast to direct, so it’s been my pleasure 100%,” Cairl said.

Even though the men fall madly in love with the women they barely know, the women in The Two Gentlemen of Verona are strong and independent.

“The women in this play have this incredible agency, and know what they want, and are willing to break incredible rules and barriers to get what they want,” Cairl said.

Susa Smith plays Julia, a leading lady who journeys to Milan on her own, disguised as a man.

“She’s very fun, she’s got a lot of personality, she’s very comedic but also a very sensitive and emotional character, which makes her even better,” Smith said.

This is Smith’s first production with Telluride Theatre.

“It’s been very different from other Shakespeare experiences I’ve had in the past before. So many people who want to work their best and come in and do hard good work, and are really trying and putting their all in, and have a lot of community together,” she said.

After several months of rehearsal, the company is excited to bring Two Gents to life with an audience on opening night — the final ingredient in the process.

“People don’t show up because ‘Oh … there’s a Shakespeare,’ they show up because it is Shakespeare, because so much love and energy and hard work goes into it, people are stoked to show up, and we’re stoked to show them that,” Pantovich Gonzales said.

“Theater is a community event, it doesn’t happen without the audience. There’s something about being together, witnessing something live, that has kept going for thousands of years. I love that this community turns out for theater, I expect and hope that they will. It’s always heartwarming to see a full house,” Cairl said.

Though Two Gents is a lighthearted story, Cairl hopes people see the deeper meanings in the show and leave thinking about human will and passion.

“I hope that they come away with this appreciation for how far people are willing to go to follow their hearts. Sometimes bad, but also sometimes really good. When you’re willing to stand by your choices, when you’re willing to put up with things for the good characters, there’s a real and deep abiding love in this show,” Cairl said.

“I hope they come and laugh, you know, it is a comedy,” he added.

Telluride Theatre’s production of The Two Gentlemen of Verona opens July 19 and runs through July 27. Tickets are available at telluridetheatre.org.