Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead

As with, I believe, most of the rest of the world, I was turned on to R&G Are Dead through the brilliant film with Gary Oldman, Tim Roth and Richard Dreyfuss. A philosophical romp through existentialism with bits of Shakespeare thrown in? Rock on. Unfortunately, it wasn't until years later when my old high school put on a production that I actually got to see what it was like on an actual stage. Fast forward again and I finally get to see it as a professional mainstage show at the Bathhouse Theater, and while my love for the play was strengthened, I have to say the show itself left me a little...underwhelmed.

For those not in the know, R&G Are Dead is a play by Tom Stoppard about the two aforementioned characters in Hamlet seemingly stuck in an existence where they have no idea what's going on, only vague recollections of why they're there, and are constantly just waiting for something to happen. And in the meantime, they philosophize. Hamlet and the other members of Elsinore drop by from time to time to shift the action, but leave R&G more or less helpless in their search for meaning. There are also some very significant interactions with the troupe of actors, often putting into question just what kind of reality they, and we the audience, are in. It's frenetically paced and definitely worthy of more than one viewing, as the first time you'll probably be just as lost in the ramblings as the two main characters. However, every time after reveals such wonderful little snippets of text and subtext that make it enjoyable each and every time.

The real problem with R&G Are Dead is that not only is it a play of many words with abstract interpretations, it's also fairly hard to find variation in simply because everything has to be so tight. Compound that with the fact that it's a really long play, and you start to realize how hard it can be to stage while still adding your own spin to it. And unfortunately, it's a problem that simply wasn't addressed here. Yes, both of the lead roles were played by women, but otherwise there was simply nothing distinguishing about the show to set it apart. Don't get me wrong, it was still a good performance, but coming from a place where I've already seen the show on film and on stage, there simply wasn't that much different for it to stand up.

Part of it came down to 2/3 of the leads, and part of it was, alas, directorial. Before I launch into that, however, I do need to give the appropriate round of applause to Angela DiMarco, who did manage to make the character of Rosencrantz her own and did a superb job. But in this play a great Rosencrantz is nothing without a great Guildernstern as a bouncing board, and Alyssa Keene to me failed to find her character. Ros and Guild are basically mirror opposites of each other. Ros is fairly care-free, simple in mind, and happy to just go with the flow. Guild, on the other hand, is a rational thinker, constantly trying to apply rules and reason to the inconsistencies around them while trying his damnedest to keep a hold on where he is and what has happened. Keene's performance certainly held that irrational conviction to rationality, but lacked the stability, the...gravitas if you will, to balance out and provide counterpoint to Ros. As for the arguable third lead, the leader of the Players, Heather Hawkins simply fell flat because she played it like it was any other part she's played (though she has certainly had some brilliant performances before). She played it rationally, but the Player is anything but rational. The lines given are so full of bravado, mixed with control and manipulation of R&G, but Hawkins' tone and personality were anything but. There was a kind of quiet control to her, but it just didn't fit. She never made me believe she had "been there before, and knew which way the wind blows."

However, as I said, the other half of the faults I found in the play lie with the direction of the dear Shana Bestock. There were repeated and frankly incomprehensible instances of upstaging here. Both the Player and Guild had some powerful lines and speeches that were spoken to the back wall where most of their impact was lost because of the staging. I was also disappointed to see some of my favorite moments happen and then seemingly disappear without a second thought because the pacing was kept so fast. In such a play where words and timing are essential, it must be remembered that sometimes the pauses between words are just as important as the words themselves. But here there was little room to breathe, and the focus seemed to be on finishing the play in two hours and getting through all those words instead of playing with the words and subtleties.

As much as I rag on it, it was still a good performance. It's very easy to completely mess this show up, and despite my complaints they still managed to make it comprehensible (which is a feat in itself) and fun to watch. It just seemed to be lacking the spark it needed to truly make it shine.

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead gets a 7/10.