The Guardian’s ranking of Shakespeare’s plays places The Two Gentlemen of Verona at number 35, calling it “no one’s favourite comedy” despite its memorable lines and occasional stage success.
The assessment comes from a 2012 production during the Globe to Globe Festival where Zimbabwean actors Denton Chikura and Tonderai Munyevu performed all 15 roles in a two-man Shona-language adaptation titled Vakomana Vaviri ve Zimbabwe.
The play’s problematic elements undermine its artistic merits
The Guardian critic cites the play’s “improbable plot, comic opera outlaws, and attempted rape being rewarded with the ‘mutual happiness’ of a double marriage” as central flaws in this early Shakespeare work.
While acknowledging hints of later masterpieces and the famous line “The uncertain glory of an April day,” the ranking concludes the play lacks the depth of Shakespeare’s superior comedies.
Previous recognition came from a student-led revival
The article notes the play “often works on stage, most recently in a Greg Doran production with Oxford students” before the Globe to Globe adaptation.
This follows a pattern where academic productions occasionally revive lesser-known works, though professional revivals remain rare for this particular play.
The Zimbabwean adaptation gained international attention
Denton Chikura and Tonderai Munyevu’s two-man version had previously been staged at London’s Oval House Theatre in 2008 and toured UK venues before appearing at Harare International Festival of Theatre in 2009.
Their Globe to Globe performance in 2012 featured the actors switching between all characters, including “amorous suitors to sullen daughters, depressed servants and even a dog” in what was described as a “township-style” interpretation.
Why is this play ranked so low among Shakespeare’s works?
The Guardian cites its problematic plot resolution where attempted rape leads to marriage, combined with what critics have described as weak character development compared to Shakespeare’s later comedies.
How did the two-man Zimbabwean adaptation work?
Denton Chikura and Tonderai Munyevu portrayed all 15 characters in the play, using quick changes and physical comedy to distinguish between roles ranging from nobility to servants and even a dog, performing in Shona with English subtitles.