Burbank , California ( CNN ) -- Off the beaten path of the Los Angeles theater district , troubadours are resurrecting Shakespeare in an adaptation that would make the Bard smile . The Troubadour Theater Company has melded `` Two Gentlemen of Verona '' with song and dance performed to music by the band Chicago and has rendered an energetic , comedic romp entitled `` Two Gentlemen of Chicago . '' Troupes and their adaptations of `` Bardolatry , '' as George Bernard Shaw coined it , come and go , riffing endlessly on Shakespeare 's tragedies and comedies , always searching for ways to breathe new life into the iambic pentameter of 500 years ago . But the Troubadour Theater Company , performing at Hollywood producer Garry Marshall 's Falcon Theatre in Burbank , has come upon an entertaining formula . The performers use live music , choreography , improvisation , audience interaction , and no small measure of humor and farce to create an evening of engagement and laughter . Much of the troupe 's magic comes from its improv , and performers apparently play pranks on one another , such as in one scene when Matt Walker 's Proteus toasts Rob Nagle 's Valentine -- with real booze , not some liquid stage prop . `` Oh , got the real thing ! '' Walker says , nearly choking , during the March 17 performance . `` On St. Patrick 's Day , no less . '' ( Walker , who trained at improv mecca Second City , also directs the show . ) Other improvisations are equally witty . When Rick Batalla 's Thurio flubs a line , Beth Kennedy 's Launce jests him : `` Thurio , you are n't sharp enough -- especially with your lines . '' ( Kennedy is also the show 's producing director . ) That may be a bit unfair to Batalla , whose talents include playing the guitar and singing . The integration of Chicago 's ballads , played lived by seven musicians , makes for a nice fit in the romantic comedy narrative . Add in the troupe 's choreography , and the production is more than just a `` free-wheeling , no holds barred ... slapstick '' that the stagebill touts . The show opens when Proteus and Valentine have had enough of another `` Saturday in the Park , '' a Chicago standard . Later , both men fight over Sylvia by serenading her as `` You 're the Inspiration , '' a popular Chicago ballad . Among the show stealers are Kennedy 's clownish Launce and his dog , Crab , which is a loveable pug . It 's always high risk to bring an animal into a live performance -- for who knows what could go wrong -- but Kennedy is happy to improvise and highlight the what-will-the-dog-do-next suspense . Kennedy and Crab amaze the audience by exchanging between themselves a high-five -- and then a low-five . When Crab turns his rump to the audience , with his tail high in the air center stage , Kennedy admonishes the animal with what everyone is looking at but is too polite to express : `` Why , you 're showing them your evil eye ! `` I 'm so sorry , '' Kennedy tells the gallery , all laughing . The Troubadour Theater Company 's `` Two Gentlemen of Chicago '' runs through April 22 at the Falcon Theatre in Burbank , California .
` ` Two Gentlemen of Verona '' is an adaptation of Shakespeare 's ` ` Two Gentlemen of Verona '' Song and music in the production is set to the music of the band Chicago .