by Mick Brian
images by Nic Proud and Wharf Theatre
Giovanni Boccaccio in the 1330s wrote a poem, “Teseida”, principally about two knights, Arcite and Palamon, who were rivals in love for the hand of Emilia, during the rule of Theseus. Fast forward to Geoffrey Chaucer about fifty years later who basically stole the story for the “Knight’s Tale” in “The Canterbury Tales”. Shakespeare was no stranger either at literary appropriation, if you will, or plagiarism if you prefer, and used the same story as the basis for “Two Noble Kinsmen”. It was to be his final play, written in partnership with John Fletcher another Elizabethan/Jacobean playwright, completed in around 1614 (Shakespeare died in 1616). As a tale incorporating two best friends both falling in love with the same woman and falling out with each other as a result, it of course bears no relationship to “Two Gentlemen of Verona” which is about two best friends both falling in love with the same woman and falling out with each other as a result. Will would surely never re-use the same plot devices?
[ Checks notes – “Twelfth Night” with a shipwreck and separated twins, “Comedy of Errors” and a shipwreck and separated twins, “The Tempest”, with a shipwreck and separated siblings; “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” with a Duke Theseus and wife Hippolyta, “Two Noble Kinsmen” with a Duke Theseus and wife Hippolyta. Nope – nothing unusual here…]
“Two Noble Kinsmen” is to be performed by the Wharf Theatre at the eponymous venue on July 13th to 18th 2026. Nic Proud, who directed “Pericles” in 2024 returns to direct this latest in a fine recent tradition of the Wharf producing Elizabethan authors’ works – “As You Like It” (2019), “Measure for Measure” (2023), the aforementioned Pericles and “Dr. Faustus” (2026). As per the opening paragraph, the story revolves around the rivalry between two noble kinsmen Arcite and Palamon, for the hand of the beautiful Emilia, sister to the pompous yet wise Duke Theseus, with his kind and sympathetic wife Hippolyta. To add romantic confusion [Ed. – a Shakespeare play with confusions over love? Really?] there is also a jailor’s daughter and her wooer, while a court toady Pirithous obsequiously undertakes his master’s bidding. A drunken jailor, and his equally drunken tailor brother, provide suitably comedic scenes, along with two simple countrymen and a schoolmistress who with sundry others make up the characters in what is a far funnier play than may appear on the surface.
The cast certainly embrace the more comedic portrayal of this piece, and it rattles along in about two hours plus an interval. There’s plenty of quick changes between and intra-scenes and multi-rolling in the cast of nine portraying fourteen characters, and a dashing sword fight on stage to boot! Come and see if you can spot who is who and be amazed at the speed of the costume changes!
Tickets for this wonderful production of a little performed Shakespearian play can be found here at ticketsource, and the production runs July 14th to 18th at 7.30pm each evening.
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