TWO Gentlemen of Verona is one of the Bard’s earliest and least-celebrated plays, yet this production by Bristolbased company Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory proves it to be a gem well worthy of revival.

Young men Valentine (Jack Bannell) and Proteus (Piers Wehner) are the best of friends and the play begins with the former about to leave Verona and follow his wanderlust with a trip to Milan.

He urges Proteus to accompany him, but his friend would rather stay at home and be with his love Julia (Dorothea Myer- Bennett).

In Milan, Valentine also finds love, with Duke’s daughter Silvia (Lisa Kay), but back in Verona, Proteus’ father despairs at his son’s idle ways and sends him to join Valentine.

Proteus and Julia are devastated to be parted but when Proteus reaches Milan and sets eyes on Silvia, he becomes besotted with her.

Pursuing this new desire would devastate Julia and destroy his friendship with Valentine, but can he resist?

At the heart of this dark comedy lie the themes of friendship, love, loyalty and betrayal, and for this production the setting is Edwardian Italy, with the stage featuring a simple yet effective piazza set.

Around the main love story are some hilarious interludes featuring the servants Launce (Chris Donnelly) and Speed (Marc Geoffrey), with the former’s dog, Crab (played with languid charm by first-time canine thespian Lollio) drawing many an “aaah” from the audience and effortlessly stealing every scene in which he appears.

With music and dance thrown in, this is a sparkling production from a richly talented company, and runs until Saturday.