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'Two Gentlemen:' Shakespeare at his summery finest

What do folk band Fleet Foxes, outsider singer/songwriter Daniel Johnston, Pearl Jam front man Eddie Vedder, and William Shakespeare have in common? All (and more) unite in the Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival's shimmering, summery The Two Gentlemen of Verona. This charming production - with many musical interludes and an adorable shaggy, white lapdog (Duncan, as Crab) - makes one of the bard's earliest comedies feel at once fresh and casual.

What do folk band Fleet Foxes, outsider singer/songwriter Daniel Johnston, Pearl Jam front man Eddie Vedder, and William Shakespeare have in common? All (and more) unite in the Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival's shimmering, summery The Two Gentlemen of Verona. This charming production - with many musical interludes and an adorable shaggy, white lapdog (Duncan, as Crab) - makes one of the bard's earliest comedies feel at once fresh and casual.

And that's what fits summer Shakespeare best: a little romance, some comedy, a dash of heartbreak, and pretty tunes. It tests the bromance of Valentine and Proteus (Luigi Sottile and Zack Robidas), sparks an unhappy rivalry between ladies Silvia and Julia (Marnie Schulenberg and Nicole Erb), and allows for fine comic turns by Alex Bechtel as Thurio, Silvia's foppish scorned suitor, and Scott Greer as Launce, servant to both Proteus and that dog.

Director Matt Pfeiffer keeps it light and lovely, setting the action in a loose approximation of the turn of the 20th century. Samina Vieth's set and Steve TenEyck's lighting are soft and airy, the exterior of a house featuring dueling Juliet balconies, a marquetry floor spread out before it like a ballroom, to assist the dance of loyalty, love, and betrayal among its young protagonists, Edison globes lighting their way. Marla Jurganis' costumes match with soft, natural colors: Silvia's robin's-egg blue gown balanced by Valentine's cobalt frock coat, others clad in brown or sage.

There's weight behind the actors' pain, with Robidas gradually darkening until he collapses with sorrow into his former friend's arms. But each actor embraces the comedy with physical vigor: Schulenberg's exasperated eye-rolling, Bechtel's ridiculous prancing, Sottile's attempts to remain cool when confronted by the father of his intended. But it's Bechtel's dual role as music director that truly anchors the show's soul.

As an early work, Two Gentlemen relies heavily on static soliloquies, and without musical bumpers it can feel stiff. Here, it breezes by, its cast members appearing to enjoy themselves as much as their audience. Selections played by the cast on guitar or ukulele, sung solo or harmonized as a chorus, underline the tale's sweetness and make an easy elision between the renaissance and our millennium.

Theater review

The Two Gentlemen of Verona

Through July 13 at the Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival, Labuda Center for the Performing Arts, DeSales University, 2755 Station Ave., Center Valley, Pa. Tickets: $25-$53. 610-282-9455, www.pashakespeare.org