The Two Gentlemen of Verona ["Verona" crossed out] Thredbo mainly by William Shakespeare. Thredbo Players directed by Brett Thomas at Cooma Little Theatre, February 4.
"Thredbo Players is an amateur company," announced the director at the end of this summer's season. "As you can see," he added, almost shyly, while the cast was swamped once more with applause.
I mention "swamped" because there is a long conversation about tides, missing the tide, ebbing and flowing, when Proteus delays his departure, being lovelorn at the time in relation to Julia, when he is required by his father to leave Julia and Thredbo to attend the Mayor of Berridale Council, where his friend Valentine is working, and has fallen in love, mutually, with the Mayor's daughter, Silvia. Proteus switches his affections to Silvia immediately upon sighting her - not mutual - while she is expected by her father to marry the creepy but rich Thurio. Proteus uses subterfuge and dissimulation to cause Valentine's banishment. Julia, for her own safety, travels to Berridale dressed as a man, and is employed by Proteus, unwittingly, as a go-between to Silvia. Valentine becomes a Robin Hood / Ned Kelly gang leader, hiding away on Crackenback ... and all ends happily ever after.
I think this must be the most madcap outfit I can recall. There is a certain quality in their mangling of Shakespeare's poetic language, the incorporation of the prompt (including bring her on stage for the curtain call), the manic servants, a rendition of Who is Silvia to wobble-board accompaniment, all in 1880's costume including Ned's helmet, that just cannot be denied. But it's very hard to describe.
As an audience member said to me afterwards, it's just about being entertaining. And, amazingly, it was - for more than two hours without interval. Someone near me commented that the old language was hard to follow, but the story was no problem. I never worked out the tides in Berridale, but the warmth of connection between the country town cast and audience flowed back and forth wonderfully. I doubt you'll enjoy a show like this in a modern city, because it's really about country and community. Rather like it was in Shakespeare's day, I suspect, for this youthful romantic comedy.
© Frank McKone, Canberra
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