Poster 1970

Here is a poster for the 1970 modern-dress production of The Two Gentlemen of Verona,directed by Robin Phillips. The updating of the setting to a 1960s lido (outdoor pool area) is hinted at with the sunglasses, a recurring motif in the production.

Daphne Dare's lido-like set consisted of a ramp with steps and a small onstage swimming pool. Lighting effects, revolving screens and suspended ropes conveyed location changes.

Who is Silvia?

'Who is Silvia? What is she?' Song, Act 4 Scene 2

Estelle Kohler as Silvia in the 1970 production looks fashionably 'cool' in her sunglasses. Her flowing hippy garments complemented the contemporary and youthful setting where Valentine and Proteus were students on holiday in Italy.

Prop setting list

This extract from the 1970 Stage Manager's Prop Setting List is headed 'O.P' which is Opposite Prompt or Stage Right. A prop is short for property and is anything that can be moved on stage.

The list includes: a rucksack, a map, books, magazines, pebbles, cigars and box, Polaroid Clip-Ons, matches, sugar cubes, towels, glasses, cup and saucer, tray, napkin, a rope ladder, boat hook, a satchel, a shooting stick, boxing gloves and letters.

The modern props underscore the contemporary setting and costumes.

Jet set: Proteus and Turio

Here we see Ian Richardson as Proteus and Terence Taplin as Turio, both sporting the ubiquitous sunglasses and epitomising the 'Jet-Set' epithet which many critics used when reviewing the production. 'La Dolce Vita is the keynote of Robin Phillips's production...' as B A Young wrote in The Financial Times on 24 July 1970.

Ground plan of the Duke's Palace

This is the ground plan of the Duke's Palace in Milan in Act 2 Scene 1. It forms part of the the 1970 prompt book, used by stage management to note blocking (where actors are positioned on stage) as well as lighting and sound effects cues. The route taken by Speed is denoted by the red line and Valentine's static position is indicated by an 'asterisk'.

Traditional dance

The 1970 The Two Gentlemen of Verona programme included this ground plan, based on 16th century dance forms. It was created by Litz Piask to follow the shape of the plot.

1. A Galliard - a love dance for two

2. Another Galliard with a second couple

3. The two men and one of the two girls introduce a Pavan

4. The two men and two girls come together in a Branle

5. Finally, both couples dance a PavanThe two men are marked X, the two girls O.

Love and Friendship

In love
Who respects friend?' Proteus, Act 5 Scene 4

The 1970 programmme explores the major theme in The Two Gentlemen of Verona - what is love and friendship, and can they co-exist?  On this page we see Shakespeare's words on the theme of love from Sonnet 116 which featured on the page alongside the song from The Two Gentlemen of Verona, 'Who is Silvia?'. Updating this theme to the 1960s setting of the show, 'All You Need Is Love' by The Beatles also featured amongst the production's music.

Patrick Stewart and Blackie

'I think Crab, my dog, be the sourest-natured dog that lives' Lance, Act 2 Scene 3

Here Crab was played by Blackie, who was discovered by Patrick Stewart (playing Lance) at a dog rescue after he had been picked up as a stray. Blackie's story parallels that of the fictional Crab who was rescued by Lance when all his litter mates were drowned.

Julia and Lucetta discuss Proteus' letter

In the 1991 production of The Two Gentlemen of Verona, the director David Thacker set the play in the late 1920s/early 1930s. The Verona scenes were transposed to England while Milan became the South of France.

The production opened in Stratford-upon-Avon in April 1991, toured and, with some cast changes, ran until the end of 1993. Here we see Julia (Clare Holman, left) and Lucetta (Josette Bushell-Mingo, right), discussing Proteus' letter in Act 1 Scene 2.

Music cues

'Never underestimate the power of cheap music' Noël Coward

Director David Thacker, made music an important part of this production, with an onstage Palm Court orchestra and singer Hilary Crombie performing works by Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, George Gershwin and Vincent Youmans. Guy Woolfenden wrote a new 'Who is Silvia' song - completing the canon of Shakespeare plays for which he had composed the music.

Here we have stage management's list of music cues showing the running order of each song. The songs were important in punctuating the action.

Costumes: Proteus and Valentine

'Set in chic Wodehouse-meets Hollywood Thirties society…' Paul Taylor, The Independent, 19 April 1991.

The costumes by Shelagh Keegan emphasised the elegant period setting and complemented the music. In this photograph from the 1993 revival of the show, Proteus (Ben Miles, left) is telling Valentine (Dominic Arnold) to flee, Act 3 Scene 1. In the background, you can see the onstage orchestra. 

1930s costumes for the men

In this list of male costume from the production records we can see the specific outfits for Valentine, Proteus and Speed which include tennis wear and evening dress. There is also a reference to the riding clothes to be worn by Julia in scene 20, when disguised as Sebastian.

Evening dress: Silvia and Valentine

This production image from the 1993 revival features the moment in Act 2 Scene 1 when Silvia (Sarah-Jane Holm) reads the letter that she has commissioned Valentine (Dominic Arnold) to write for her to 'one she loves'. Note the elegant evening dress worn by Valentine which is listed in the male costume breakdown in the previous image.

Prompt Book: Night and Day

This prompt book from the 1991 production of The Two Gentlemen of Verona shows the text for Act 3 Scene 2 on the left hand page with stage directions, cues, blocking diagrams and interpolated song lyrics on the opposing page.

The song 'Night and Day' was composed by Cole Porter for the 1932 Broadway musical Gay Divorce starring Fred Astaire, which was later turned into the film The Gay Divorcee.

Scale plan for the fountain

Shelagh Keegan's design included a fountain which is shown here in a 1:1250 scale plan. There is a note about having a false floor in the fountain but the exact height has not been fixed and needs to be checked with the props department.

Woolly the dog

'Ask my dog: if he say ay, it will! if he say no,
it will; if he shake his tail and say nothing, it will.' Lance, Act 2 Scene 5

Woolly the lurcher provided a memorable double-act with Richard Moore as Crab and Lance respectively. In this photograph they are placed by the fountain, the design for which can be seen in the previous image. Woolly made a big impact on the critics as well as audiences, and was even immortalised in a cartoon by H G Wison in The Times (1992).

Director Fiona Buffini

Fiona Buffini made her RSC directorial debut with the 2004 production of The Two Gentlemen of Verona. The production toured in repertory with Julius Caesar, directed by David Farr, in the UK and the USA. Buffini, like David Thacker in 1991, chose a 1930s setting to capture the energy of the play. Verona was set in the countryside inhabited by the English gentry while Milan was a buzzing 1930s metropolis.

Art Deco cocktail bar

The designer for Fiona Buffini's 2004 production was Liz Ascroft. In this image of the Art Deco cocktail bar she has prefectly captured the style and hedonism of party-going Milan. The poise and elegance of the central female figure is echoed in the next image of Rachel Pickup's glamorous portrayal of Silvia.

Hot jazz

In Liz Ascroft's designs, Milan was a 'fashion-plate whirl of slinky women, brilliantined men, hectic parties and hot jazz', Michael Billington, Guardian, 22 October 2004. 

The vibrant atmosphere of 1930s Milan is reflected in this photograph of Valentine (left, Alex Avery), Silvia (centre, Rachel Pickup) and Turio (right, Zubin Varla).

The Lindy Hop

A vital ingredient in creating the jazz age setting was the was the music composed by Conor Linehan. Here we have an image of his trumpet score for 'The Lindyhop', a particularly lively dance. The score also shows the lighting cues for stage management indicated by 'Lx' which stands for lighting effects.

Dance rehearsals

The Lindy Hop is a dance that originated in Harlem, New York, in the 1920/30s. The dance borrowed steps from the Charleston and Tap tradition. As we can see in this rehearsal photograph, the Lindy Hop can involve vigorous movement. Lynne Page was responsible for the movement and choreography in this 2004 production.

Showtime!

'Come, we'll have you merry: I'll bring you where you shall hear music' Host, Act 4 Scene 2

In this photograph of the 2004 production the setting, costumes, movement and music are combined to suggest a scene from a Hollywood musical of the 1930s. In the centre of the image we can see a trumpeter, an essential component of a jazz band.

Ria the dog

No production of The Two Gentlemen of Verona is complete without a dog and in the prompt book for the 2004 regional tour we have a light-hearted cartoon drawn by the stage manager, hinting at canine impatience. 

Crab the dog in this production was played by Ria in the UK. According to tradition, the original Crab belonged to the famous Elizabethan clown, Will Kempe, who played Lance.

It's a dog's life...

'...the dog all this while sheds not a tear nor speaks a word' Lance, Act 2 Scene 3.

The partnership between Davidson College in the USA and the RSC began in 2002. In 2005, Fiona Buffini's production of The Two Gentlemen of Verona was performed there. Here we can see a slightly underwhelmed 'Crab' being interviewed, an alternate dog to the UK 'actor'.