By Abbey Salvemini
Shakespeare’s final — and perhaps most overlooked — play steps into the spotlight as “The Two Noble Kinsmen” arrives on Hofstra University’s celebrated Globe stage. Now in its 77th year, the annual Shakespeare Festival invites audiences to experience a production that follows the intense journey of two noble cousins, Palamon and Arcite, whose unbreakable bond is shattered when they fall in love with the same woman.
As the headline production, this tragicomedy sets the tone for a rich, two-week-long festival season that includes “What Fools!,” a whimsical, one-hour version of A “Midsummer Night’s Dream,” ideal for children; also Hofstra Collegium Musicum’s concert of Elizabethan and Jacobean music inspired by Shakespeare’s era. Together, these performances promise a dynamic festival experience for audiences of all ages.
Directed by drama professor Dr. Cindy Rosenthal, the production brings to life a powerful story about friendship, competition and the messy realities of love. Whether you’re a Shakespeare devotee or new to his catalog, this rarely-performed play offers a fresh, thought-provoking look at the Bard.
According to Rosenthal, the decision to produce “The Two Noble Kinsmen” is rooted in its relative obscurity — and its potential. She acknowledges that among her fellow theater historians, not many have studied the play or seen it performed.
“In that there is opportunity,” she says.“We may be the one production of this play that our audience members see. The question is: How can we best present this under-illuminated text by the greatest writer in the history of civilization? Let’s make the most of whatever ways we think have value and interest. That’s the job.”
She recognizes that taking on the play is a learning curve for both herself and her students. Still, the opportunity to present something rare and meaningful made it worth the challenge.
“We would be able to offer something to our audiences that they don’t get to see — and very likely won’t see again in their lifetime.”
She’s particularly interested in exploring the play’s layered emotional dynamics and how they speak to today’s audiences. The staging doesn’t shy away from the text’s “queer sensibility,” which runs throughout, making it an integral part of the storytelling.
This play “absolutely brings forward the value and the strength of same-sex relationships,” Rosenthal says, describing the work (that Shakespeare co-wrote with John Fletcher) as a significant reflection of today’s lineage of queer love.
Hofstra’s Globe stage — considered the most authentic re-creation of Shakespeare’s original stage in North America — adds a unique dimension to the production. Rosenthal refers to the stage as “a real phenomenon.”
While she has directed for previous Shakespeare festivals at Hofstra, this is her first time with the Globe replica.
“Performing on the Globe stage makes it feel like we are part of history. It’s a beautiful achievement. Just being able to engage with the set is another part of the experience I look forward to sharing with the students and our audience,” she says.
Guiding her student actors on a play that few had encountered before was both a challenge and a joy for Rosenthal. Among the aspects most interesting to all involved is how the play celebrates love, both heterosexual and queer.
“It does that all the way through the text, both with women and men. Scholars have studied and written about the queer sensibility that permeates this play. I’m excited and the students are excited to explore and bring life to the relationships among the characters,” she adds.
Anthony Avalos, of Roosevelt, is among Rosenthal’s young cast who fully embrace his director’s enthusiasm. Avalos, who plays the roles of both a soldier and a knight, declared that his appreciation for the play grew with every reading of it.
“When I actually saw everyone molding these characters, that’s when I really fell in love with the story,” he says.
Rosenthal’s visual approach is designed to blend tradition with fresh interpretation.
“We want to find a way to bridge the gap and to resonate with our own community,” she notes.
Costume choices, for example, were guided by the characters’ journeys and how those stories can connect with audiences today — incorporating playful, contemporary touches into the overall aesthetic.
Rosenthal recalls visiting Hofstra’s Globe to see a performance of “Hamlet” on a school trip as a student at Jericho High School. The experience, she says, led her to realize just how much she loved and admired both the show and Shakespeare’s language.
“It’s an amazing full-circle moment for me.”
For those who may not know the play — or Shakespeare at all — she invites them to approach it with curiosity, offering a simple message: “Have an open mind.”
