When Two Gentlemen of Verona director Clark Nicholson said he thought The Harrisburg Shakespeare Festival’s production of this controversial comedy was one of the few that worked, I was admittedly taken aback by his apparent hubris. Since the 16th century? In the whole world?

But he just may be right.

Written in the late 1590’s, Two Gentlemen of Verona has puzzled many Shakespearean scholars, but it is evident that in this production of one of the Bard’s earliest works the actors clearly understand who their characters are, what they are doing, and why. As a result, so does the audience, and what on the face might seem a bit of fluff, comes off in this production as something far different.

A brief synopsis: Two young men, Valentine and Proteus, are best friends in Verona. Valentine is being sent to serve the Duke of Milan while Proteus stays home out of love for Julia. However, Proteus’ father decides his son should also be educated "abroad" and sends him to join Valentine, who meanwhile has become betrothed to the Duke’s daughter, Silvia. Enter Proteus, who after a brief bit of soul-searching opts to also pursue Silvia, even though it means betraying both Julia and Valentine. He cons the Duke into ousting Valentine, under the guise of promoting a marriage between Silvia and Thurio, the Duke’s choice for his daughter. Proteus’ real purpose, though, is to woo Silvia, who rejects him, and detests him for his efforts. Meanwhile, Valentine and his servant have joined a band of outlaws, while Julia, disguised as a young man, has set out to find Proteus and comes face-to-face with his betrayal.

It is the last scene that drastically changes the play’s tone and direction, and seems to come out of nowhere. Silvia uses an unsuspecting admirer to run off and find Valentine, only to be accosted by Proteus, who has decided to take her by force. Valentine is a witness to the attempted rape, but it is Julia, traveling as Proteus’ page, who rescues Silvia. Valentine berates Proteus for his betrayal (not for his attack on Silvia), and a remorseful Proteus begs forgiveness (Valentine’s, not Silvia’s). Not only does Valentine forgive, he offers Silvia to Proteus! Julia reveals who she really is, Proteus shrugs off his infatuation with Silvia (never mind his attempted rape of her), and both couples reunite.

It is this abrupt and questionable "happy" ending that has contributed to frequent dismissal of the play as a lesser work. Even director Nicholson thought so, when his board of directors suggested it for their seventh season. He read the play twice and had the same opinion. Then he read it yet again.

"I didn’t like it until the third time through," he admits, "but there’s a point where Shakespeare just stands there and says ‘This is what I mean.’ I literally jumped around exclaiming ‘THIS is what he was saying!’"

What Nicholson believes Shakespeare was saying was that these two men were not "gentlemen" at all, that the title is truly ironic, and that people try to live in their own fairy tale visions of themselves, instead of facing who they are head-on. Thus, the exquisite and easily adaptable set, lushly and imaginatively hand-painted by Nicholson’s father, Judson Nicholson, evokes the fairy-tale, fantasy artwork of Maxfield Parish and Howard Pyle. Also, the charming stone-washed color-coordinated pastel costumes by Angela Scimonelli are neither "period" nor contemporary.

"This play was written by a 35-year-old genius who was trying to redefine the comedic form," Nicholson expands. "These characters do not take account of their lives, so horrible things come to pass. There is no protagonist, which is why at the end all the characters are on stage. There is no hero. But, we can see aspects of ourselves in every character, so we can empathize, even if there is no single character with whom we sympathize."

Nicholson’s direction is vibrant and energetic, with action creatively placed both on and off the stage. His characters are real people (except for Crab, who is a real dog), with real emotions, who interact with each other and the audience, and across the board (a real 16th century acting pun), the acting is superb.

Two Gentlemen of Verona is being presented June 10, 11, 15, 16, and 17 at 7:30 p.m. at Harrisburg’s Reservoir Park Bandshell. Admission is free, though a goodwill offering is accepted at the conclusion of the performance. "Free Shakespeare in the Park 2000" is sponsored by the HARSCO Corporation, the City of Harrisburg, and the Pennsylvania Partners in the Arts through MetroArts of the Capital Region, and the Allied Arts Venture Fund. For more information, call 238-4111 or visit hbgshakespeare.pa.net.