SMU Alum Nicole Berastequi as Sylvia and Marcus Stimac as Valentine. (Photo Courtesy of Shakespeare Dallas)

If you count “10 Things I Hate About You” or “She’s the Man” among your favorite renditions of Shakespeare’s work, Shakespeare Dallas has the show for you.

The current installment of Shakespeare in the Park is a modern re-telling of the rarely produced, “Two Gentleman of Verona.”

SD’s executive and artistic director, Raphael Parry, returned to direct “Two Gents” after taking a few shows off, and thank goodness he did.

This show would not have been the same in anyone else’s hands. Parry, with help from Sara Boland-Taylor’s dramaturgy, modernized this show without altering the language of the great bard.

Borrowed elements from contemporary movies and prods at pop culture abound in this play, handled by an excellent cast comprised of some SD staples and new faces.

Valentine (Marcus Stimac) is the first of two best friends to leave Verona for Milan. He chides Proteus (Alex Organ) for being so caught up with Julia (Jenny Ledel), only to find himself in love’s entrapments upon meeting Sylvia (Nicole Berastequi).

After visiting Valentine, Proteus finds himself forgetting Julia and hungrily pursuing Sylvia as well.

The drama that ensues is a saucy tale that only Shakespeare can tell, filled with deception, betrayal, cross-dressing and a whole lot of innuendo.

The pleasant surprise of this play is that even the roles with less stage time prove to be as strong as the central four.

Anastasia Munoz is adorable as Lucetta; Randy L. Chronister is hilarious as Speed; and Eric Devlin is the perfect father figure for Berastequi’s Sylvia.  

And don’t forget that this is the play with Launce (Anthony Ramirez) and Crabbe (Boscoe) the dog.

Shakespeare in the Park is a beloved tradition all over the world, and Shakespeare Dallas has outdone themselves with this show.

“Two Gentleman of Verona” runs at Samuell Grand Amphitheatre through Sunday, followed by two weeks in Addison Circle Park.