Despite being marketed as one of Shakespeare’s “least famous comedies,” this modernised version of ‘The Two Gentlemen of Verona’ has the Bard to thank for some of its most redeeming attributes. Although widely regarded as one of his earliest (and weakest) plays, director Sharmini Kumar obviously concluded that even as a novice who was experimenting with characters who profane to fall in love with their best friend’s girl and then try to rape her, Shakespeare was still onto a better thing than most of us will ever dream of. And we’d have to agree.

Although the play has been transported into a nondescript future (in the ‘suits and ties for businessmen’ sense of the word, rather than the ‘Robin Williams creepy Bicentennial Man’ sense), the play finds its freshness in a projector screen forming part of an otherwise minimalist set that has live tweeting and texting throughout the performance. Designed to “provide additional commentary” on the play as well as allowing for audience interaction, it quickly becomes clear that, although witty in some parts, its primary purpose is not so much to add to the audience’s appreciation of the plot as it is to translate the dialogue. Hardcore Shakespeare purists will protest that if the acting is good enough, you shouldn’t need to spell out the character’s motivations; however others will be grateful for the handholding.

Credit must be given to the performance of Gary Sinclair as the common “fool” ‘Launce’. The character is reminiscent of the gravedigger from ‘Hamlet’ and Sinclair delivers the role with great presence and comic timing. He is upstaged only by his onstage dog. As one audience member tweeted: “Can the best tweeter keep the puppy?” There is inconsistency with the cast as a whole in terms of accent. While some shoot for a stylised British accent, others are unashamedly Australian in their delivery and the overall effect feels unconsidered.

Overall ‘2 Gentlemen’ is not a bad night out. Certainly one for the Shakespeare fans. And anyone with a mannequin fetish.