"With impeccable timing, Fiasco Theater’s frolicking production of 'The Two Gentlemen of Verona' opened on Thursday night...Fiasco finds a beguiling continuity in the play’s erratic behavior...This production sees in the text a mirror for the irrationality that comes with being young, mercurial and at the mercy of metabolic changes that the sober mind can’t begin to make sense of."
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"But the real accomplishment is in giving the main plot a sense of substance...Even the infamously unplayable final scene—with its bizarrely fast forgiveness for heinous behavior, including an attempted rape—almost works. By then, Fiasco has inspired our indulgence. The company seeks and finds beauty in the literary discard pile."
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"The Fiasco Theater’s brisk take on 'The Two Gentlemen of Verona' is as bold and splashy as it is joyous. The troupe nips and tucks and gives this early Shakespeare romantic comedy the streamlined treatment... In lieu of of fancy trickery, there’s playful, low-tech stagecraft, like a delightful explosion of stationery."
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"The comedy’s main claim to fame is that it’s widely assumed to be Shakespeare’s first play. Quality-wise, though, it’s not that great. Yet that seems to have inspired rather than deterred co-directors Jessie Austrian and Ben Steinfeld. They started by trimming the fat, cutting supporting characters so the show zips along at just over two hours...This accessible, fun 'Gentlemen' makes him feel like one of our own."
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"Fiasco Theatre are content to demolish that fourth wall, and it serves this upbeat, charming take on Shakespeare’s early-life comedy quite well...You may not be in the midst of Fiasco’s finest hour(s) to date, but their unbridled enthusiasm is utterly infectious. Time goes by with thee most agreeably."
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"The production is pleasant but rather bloodless. Though hardly the Bard's deepest work, 'Verona' does contain some dark undertones (Proteus nearly rapes Silvia before he is stopped by Valentine) which are here overlooked...These issues aside, the troupe deserves much credit for presenting the rarely-seen play, and I hope they will keep churning out simple but imaginative productions in the years ahead."
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"The simple story leaves much for its interpreters to reconcile. But in the style that has been slowly charming all of New York City, the folks of Fiasco do so with a whimsical levity, a self-deprecating sense of humor, and a stage that's been stripped down to its skivvies. The company pares down 'The Two Gentleman of Verona' to its barest bones, with just an encompassing mosaic of crumpled love letters to set the Italian scene."
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"Co-directed with great comic flair, this early effort by the Bard is filled with themes and characterizations that would come to greater fruition later in his career. So even though this is not Shakespeare at his best, what fun it is to see the budding elements of what would blossom down the road...as welcome as the long-awaited springtime weather."
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