Michelle de Joya and Kimberly Richardson Photo by Tom Wallace

Speaking of firsts, Two Gents also marks Caitlin Lowans', Ten Thousand Things' new artistic director, first time directing a production for the company. It is an apt Minnesota debut for Lowans who, in her previous job as artistic director of Theatreworks in Colorado Springs, initiated Act Out, a program for which she freely credits Ten Thousand Things as an inspiration. Like Then Thousand Things, Act Out creates stripped down productions (in the case of Act Out, strictly Shakespeare) and brings them to community spaces where they can reach audiences who otherwise have little or no access to live theatre. In fact, Two Gents was one of the shows Lowans mounted with Act Out.

Lowans' previous experience with Two Gents and with the Then Thousand Things presentation style–in the round before an audience only two or three rows deep, with all the lights on and very limited set pieces in order for it to fit, along with props and costumes, in a van–serve her well. The current production is a frisky delight. It allows space for the comedic elements to land with the audience without losing momentum, and is precise in its movement from point to point. She draws rich performances from the five actors who play sixteen different parts. High honors in that vein go to Ten Thousand Things veteran Kimberly Richardson who plays eight roles in the course of the show. Also, if you are keeping score, one smallish role, Sir Thurio, is played by four different actors, each bringing their own flair to this comedic character.

The play opens in Verona with Valentine trying to convince his best friend Proteus to join him in venturing to Milan, where he hopes to expand his prospects in service to the Duke. Proteus, however, will not think of leaving Verona because he is madly in love with Julia, a Veronese maiden. No sooner does Valentine arrive in Milan than he encounters the beautiful Silvia, and the two fall in love. Silvia, it turns out, is the daughter of the Duke, who has promised her hand to well-off but dweeby Sir Thurio, driving Valentine and Silvia to conceive a plan to alter that outcome.

Back in Verona, Proteus' father Antonio decides that his son also needs to have his horizons expanded by the world beyond their city, and orders Proteus to Milan, following the example of his friend, Valentine. After heartfelt, tender farewells during which they pledge their undying love to one another, Proteus and Julia exchange rings. Proteus arrives in Milan where he too espies Silvia, and at first glance is completely won over by her. In his case, though, his desire is most foul: it means forsaking his vows to Julia, betraying his best friend, and forcing himself on Silvia, who despises him. From this set up, throw in a trio of comical servants, a band of outlaws roving the forest, Julia's journey to Milan disguised as a man, and a large, mangy dog named Crab and you have the ingredients for the remainder of the play.

Two Gents maintains the flavor of Shakespeare's language while paring it down for easy consumption by today's audiences. It also alters the ending of the play, making a vast improvement on Shakespeare's work. Shakespeare's ending was perhaps a good fit in the 1590s, but times have changed. Being it is a comedy, we know the play must have a happy ending and in all likelihood include one or more weddings. Shakespeare accomplished this, but by today's values, a massive suspension of disbelief would be required if his conclusion had not been given new direction. As it is, the flippancy with which Proteus abandons his love for Julia and his devotion to Valentine is hard to abide. We must simply judge the guy to be a class A jerk and roll with the rest of the story.

Kamani Graham as Valentine and Michelle de Joya as Silvia are inspired choices in these roles. Graham exudes fresh-faced exuberance as he embarks on his journey to Milan and conveys the zeal of a schoolboy discovering first love that overtakes Valentine as he woos Silvia. De Joya imbues Sylvia with wit and independence, endowed with a swagger that confirms her ability to make her own life choices, thank you very much. Physically, the two seem very much a love match. Kurt Kwan makes Proteus' duplicity palpable, ever becoming baser in plotting to make Silvia his own, while diminishing the value of his vows to Julia and his friendship with Valentine. Sara Richardson is a winsome Julia, ebullient in her love for Proteus. We can see that she is demolished when she discovers his faithlessness, yet the strength of her love moves her to remain a friend to him as long as she can bear it.

In the course of the show, the tireless Kimberly Richardson portrays three different servants, the Duke of Milan, Lord Antonio, the gallant Sir Eglamour (another of Silvia's suitors who gallops on stage straddling a hobby horse), an outlaw, and has a turn as Sir Thurio, the suitor chosen by Silvia's father who the strong-willed maiden spurns. All but the Duke are comical figures, and Richardson uses her considerable comic gifts to give each of them a unique disposition.

Ryan Lee is the show's music director and provides subtle underscoring throughout, with clopping hoof beats and other sounds. He joins with several actors on stage in a serenade devised by Proteus in his campaign to woo Silvia, the scene energized as it turns to a rock beat. Ash Kaun's costumes are delightful and inventive, with small but distinctive flourishes that differentiate the characters. I was particularly tickled by Sir Thurio's conjoined ball cap and wig, which enables four actors to assume the role, Sir Eglamour's foppish, oversized pink beret, and the spiked caps atop the heads of the outlaws. There are never more than modest scenic elements in Ten Thousand Things productions–in this case, there are none but a ladder that serves as the tower in which the Duke confines Silvia to keep her out of reach of her suitors.

Two Gentlemen of Verona is not among Shakespeare's highest regarded plays, staged far less often than classic comedies such as Much Ado About Nothing, As You Like It, Twelfth Night, The Comedy of Errors, and A Midsummer Night's Dream. Since this is a rare opportunity to see the play, it is worth catching–even subpar Shakespeare has its pleasures. The altered conclusion in Two Gents allows you to gain familiarity with the play in a brisk and breezy format. Moreover, this version upholds the dignity of the play's women and the price paid for willful betrayal.

The real treat here, though, is in the winning performances and Lowans' staging, which elevates a middling work into a joy to experience.

Two Gents, a Ten Thousand Things Theater Company production, runs through October 12, 2025, at the Open Book, 1011 Washington Ave. S., Minneapolis MN,; October 16 - 26, 2025 at Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church, 511 Groveland Ave., Minneapolis MN; and October 30 - November 2 at 2025 at 825 Arts, 825 University Ave, St. Paul MN. For free community performances (donations appreciated) and tickets, call 612-203-9502 or visit www.tenthousandthings.org.

Playwright: William Shakespeare; Director: Caitlin Lowans; Music Director: Ryan Lee; Costume Design: Ash Kaun; Props Design: Abbee Warmboe; Stage Manager: Kenji Shoemaker.

Cast: Michelle de Joya (Silvia/Panthino./Sir Thurio/Outlaw), Kamani Graham (Valentine/Sir Thurio), Kurt Kwan (Proteus/Outlaw), Kimberly Richardson (Speed/Lucetta/Lord Antonio/Launce/The Duke/Sir Thurio/Sir Eglamour/Outlaw), Sara Richardson (Julia/Sir Thurio/Outlaw), Anna M. Schloerb (understudy).