Fantastic direction by Declan Donnellan

The Two Gentlemen of Verona It is thought to be a comedy about Shakespeare's youth, and, as usual, it is not known exactly when it premiered. What is clear to biographers such as Peter Ackroyd is that it is a work written at breakneck speed, with the resulting inconsistencies, inspired, as is usual with Shakespeare, by other preceding writings and ultimately with the satirical air of the romantic drama of the 16th century. And hence the unexpected ending, which seems to mock those works, since when it comes to choosing between love and friendship, Shakespeare opts for the friendly relationship between Proteus and Valentine, leaving Julia and Silvia, the two young women of marriageable age, in Decla's magnificent proposal, with a pinch of salt. In other words, a friendship forged over years of adventures and secrets cannot be equated with falling in love, no matter how beautiful the girl may be.

Donnellan's proposal relies on a very agile adaptation (with translation into Spanish by Josete Corral) and direction that accelerates the pace, avoiding any dead moments. Not so much in the delivery, which was frankly good despite the sound intrusion of the songs and the pyrotechnics of Aitana (who was performing at the Olympic Stadium at the same time)—traditions of outdoor live performances, as those from Parking Shakespeare well know—but in the movement. Proteus does gymnastics while Valentino says goodbye and the Duke of Milan, in a pink tracksuit, sprints around the four corners of Nick Ormerod's austere and tremendously functional stage space. It's enough to add humor. A humor that Donnellan enhances in the well-known scene, which experts claim was added hastily but which is a discovery both for the performer and for the audience's satisfaction. We're referring to the scene of the servant Launce with his dog, which Goizalde Núñez does not waste, becoming the attraction of the performance. Less extroverted is the second comic role, the servant Panthino (Prince Ezeanyim), and the protagonists Proteus (Alfredo Noval) and Valentine (Manuel Moya) are very direct and convincing. A very well-made comedy that was both laugh-out-loud entertaining and satisfying to the audience.