Fiasco Theater troupe brings enchanting ‘Two Gentlemen of Verona’ to Polonsky Shakespeare Center

May 1, 2015 By Lore Croghan Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Actors (from l.) Zachary Fine, Paul L. Coffey, Noah Brody (kneeling) and Andy Grotelueschen in “The Two Gentlemen of Verona” at Polonsky Shakespeare Center in Fort Greene. Photos by Gerry Goodstein

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I’m in love with a dog named Crab.

You’ll fall for him, too. Just you wait and see.

His master says Crab is “the sourest-natured dog that lives,” but don’t you believe it.

The hapless canine is a hilarious scene-stealer — and one of Shakespeare’s funniest clowns — when played by the right actor.

That would be Zachary Fine, who slips a shiny black ball over his nose, gets a goofy-puppy look in his eyes and voilà — the audience at “The Two Gentlemen of Verona” is laughing again.

Fine is a member of a supremely gifted acting troupe, the Fiasco Theater. The ensemble’s enchanting production of this late 16th-Century rom-com opened on April 30 at Polonsky Shakespeare Center, the Theatre for a New Audience’s terrific playhouse in Fort Greene.

Co-directed by Jessie Austrian, who plays a mesmerizing Julia, and Ben Steinfeld, who doesn’t have an onstage role, “Two Gents” offers a fresh take on Love, that “mighty lord,” as one of the characters calls it.

This is possibly the first play Shakespeare wrote, and it’s sometimes dismissed by critics and scholars as one of his minor-league creations. But Fiasco Theater’s rollicking rendition shows it to be a thoroughly worthy work.

Since many New York theater-goers have never seen “Two Gents,” here are some plot details to pique your interest.

Proteus, one of the Gentlemen in question, loses his moral bearings the moment he leaves home and heads to Milan. He’s played by a terrific Noah Brody, whose elastic face telegraphs his character’s every emotion. You’ll be reminded, a little bit, of a young Jim Carrey.

Before you know it, Proteus double-crosses the other Gentleman in the play’s title, his life-long friend Valentine (another role superbly handled by Fine).

Then Proteus shamelessly pursues Valentine’s betrothed. So much for the “true constancy” Proteus had promised Julia, his loved one back in Verona.

Sylvia (a luminous Emily Young, who also plays Lucetta, a waiting-woman to Julia) is the “earthly paragon” Proteus pines for. (That’s one of the many adoring things he calls her.)

The plot is thickened by peremptory papas (Proteus and Sylvia both have bossy dads), a rich rival for Sylvia’s hand, entertainingly addle-brained servants and a cross-dressing traveler.

Paul L. Coffey ably alternates between the roles of Thurio, the rich rival, and Speed, a slow-witted servant.

Crab’s owner, Launce, is played by Andy Grotelueschen, a skilled comic who performs his scenes with the pooch to perfection.

Launce, who’s a servant, also gets laughs with a list of pros and cons about his girlfriend. Modern-day writers who use this kind of thing in sitcoms should take note: Shakespeare did this four centuries ago.

Grotelueschen also plays Proteus’ father, Antonio, and Sylvia’s father, the Duke.

Fiasco Theater’s rendition of “Two Gents” offers food for thought about the perfidy of faithless lovers, the redemptive power of forgiveness and other serious stuff. Yet all the while, it’s great fun.

“’Tis pity love should be so contrary,” spurned Julia sighs at one point. Too true. But the messiness that ensues makes for highly entertaining theater.

Ebullient Julia and high-energy Proteus behave like giddy teenagers when he’s courting her in Verona. They’re funny, and exhilarating to watch.

Once in Milan, Proteus and his sudden slide into slimeball mode are interesting to see. He starts by tattling on his dear friend, and from there on out, his ungentlemanly conduct gets worse and worse. Can he be saved from the slough of sleaziness he’s sucked into?

By the way, the award-winning Fiasco Theater troupe, which was formed by graduates of Brown University/Trinity Rep’s M.F.A. acting program, is a theatrical Home Team, so to speak.

All but one of the actors who appear onstage are Brooklyn residents — and two of them live just a block away from Polonsky Shakespeare Center.

“The Two Gentlemen of Verona” runs through May 24 at Polonsky Shakespeare Center, located at 262 Ashland Place in the Brooklyn Cultural District. See tfana.org for ticket info.