“Gentlemen” opens at Sam’s woods

In a nook of the woods that bears no trace of last weekend’s Bluesapalooza extravaganza, we stumble upon Shakespeare. “Two Gentlemen of Verona” is this year’s (the sixth) Sierra Classic Theatre production of Shakespeare in the Woods.

According to its director, Susan Dalian, this is one of Shakespeare’s earliest comedies and one rarely known by most people.

Dalian transports us out of the 16th century Italian town of Verona and into the Roaring Twenties. Verona is now a fictional small town in California, and the big city of Milan becomes the powerful Milan Studios of Hollywood.

“It occurred to me that the themes of this play were very relevant to the tensions of the times,” Dalian says in the program notes. The 1920s were a time of dynamic change—women got the right to vote, Prohibition reared its ugly head, and filmmaking was entering a prodigious phase.

The two gentlemen are good buddies Proteus and Valentine. Proteus (Mike Real) falls in love with Julia (Erica Sutch). Valentine (Jeremy Goico) escapes their romance by going off to the big city, where he meets and falls for Silvia (Sabrina Clevenger), feisty daughter of the dominant studio head, Duke Milan (Chuck Scatolini).

Proteus decides to join Valentine, and when he arrives in Hollywood, he falls under Silvia’s spell. He tries to win her over, but she is outraged that Proteus could betray his friend Valentine, and will have nothing to do with this snake.

Meanwhile, Julia disguises herself as a man and follows Proteus to Hollywood, becoming his pageboy Sebastian to keep an eye on him. She witnesses him trying to woo Silvia away from Valentine.

Despite betrayal and confusion and the hormones of love and youth mixing around like some bartender’s concoction, the classic Shakespearean themes of loyalty, the bonds of platonic friendship, and true love raise their lovely heads and produce a brilliant outcome.

The cast of 19 is diverse and excellent. In addition to the main characters, of particular note is Matthew Chaconas, who plays Valentine’s valet, Speed. He delivers Shakespeare’s lines with aplomb, great pacing and hilarity.

Proteus’s valet, Launce, played by Jesse Rea, with his dog Crab (played by the talented Diego) is also notable in his humor.

And Allison McDonnell Page is a crackup as one of the outlaws marauding through the outlying forest.

Shakespeare’s humor is masterful, the dialog inspired, and the rich language is so lyrical, I almost want to start talking in iambic pentameter. Dalian’s work with cast and script delivers the whole effortlessly and is a joy to experience. No stranger to the Bard, Dalian’s been a lover of Shakespeare since highschool, and has been involved with many Shakespeare companies including Berkeley Rep, California Shakespeare Festivals, Shakespeare Santa Cruz and others.

“Shakespeare is meant to be acted, not read,” she says, reminding us of how difficult it can be to read his plays.

Every role has cameo parts that shine brightly as the sun sets on Sam’s Woods throughout the two-hour, two act comedy. There is no better outdoor setting. It suits the action and is gorgeous to gaze upon. The costumes, designed by Dalian, are imaginative and wonderful.

Take a picnic, take wine, bring a chair and some friends. Go see this masterful play,

Thursdays-Sundays, Aug. 6-16. Admission is free, but a donation is welcome. Info: www.SierraClassicTheatre.com