Two Gentlemen of Verona – Girl Who Would be KING on Life, Style and INSPIRATION.

Last night under the tents we went again, to attend the opening of Bard on the Beach’s “The Two Gentlemen of Verona.” This is one of four plays being presented at the Vanier Park Venue.

Two Ladies of Vancouver at the **Bard Boutique** (with my friend + neighbour Marta).

This version of the play is a Shakespeare comedy of sorts, modernized with costumes, music, and a dog (of course we loved the dog best).

Jacob Leonard as Proteus & Matthew Ip Shaw as Valentine, The Two Gentlemen of Verona (2025). Directed by Dean Paul Gibson. Photo & Image Design by Emily Cooper.

There is a lot going on in this production, so for the sake of simplicity, I’ll sum it all up like this:

Two best friends, Valentine and Proteus, leave their hometown. Valentine heads to Milan and falls for Silvia, the ruler’s daughter. Proteus, originally in love with Julia, is sent to Milan too, but once he sees Silvia, he forgets all about Julia and tries to win Silvia for himself. Yikes. That’s men for you!

The Company of the Two Gentlemen of Verona – Photo by Tim Matheson.

Meanwhile…Julia disguises herself as a guy (classic Shakespeare move) and follows Proteus. There’s betrayal, heartbreak, mistaken identities, and even a very clever dog named Crab who steals scenes left and right.

Mason as Crab (the only dog role in the Shakespearean canon). Scott Bellis as Launce, Photo by Tim Matheson.

Tess Degenstein as **Julia**, Photo by Tim Matheson

In the end, all is forgiven far too quickly, love is restored, and the play wraps with everyone paired off and pals again. Oops…sorry about the spoiler alert. Believe me, if you see it, you won’t remember this ending.