Black hole brings rosencrantz and guildenstern to life
StoppardFest is over, here’s what you missed
TIMOTHY BROWN STAFF
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are indeed dead and what a death it was. Tom Stoppard’s most popular play, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead is quite an undertaking for any theatre company, especially one at the student level. After watching the play, however, it is hard to distinguish the difference in quality between this play and something you would see at a prestigious festival such as the Shaw Festival or even the Stratford Festival; it was performed without flaw and showcased amazing performances by the play’s lead actors, Jeff Strome and Simon Bracken (Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, respectively).
Strome and Bracken’s stage dynamic was fantastic. Bracken, playing the cynical, thoughtful Guildenstern, offered the audience a “glass is half-empty” perspective, while Strome took the “glass isn’t quite as half-empty” angle as the playful and confused Rosencrantz. Bracken, morose through almost the entirety of the play, and Strome, taking on the opposite persona, together seemed to be one complete character, a conscience struggling with itself (this was represented perfectly with a coin-tossing motif.) There was even confusion as to which character was which: not only would other characters confuse their names, but Bracken and Strome would do so as well.
Both actors managed to keep their performances natural. Acting on the stage can lead to a lack of naturalism, or at least that’s what I’ve noticed in recent plays that I’ve attended. I was particularly impressed by Bracken: his timing was impeccable, as was his delivery. He was sincerely believable when he pondered those deep and enigmatic questions, and quite remarkable at the climax of the play, when he fell to his knees and delivered the line “Now you see me, now you . . . ” It sent shivers up my spine.
The two other characters worth mentioning were Hamlet and The Player (Jason Boissonneault and Ray Strachan, respectively). Boissonneault had very few lines, most of which were straight from Shakespeare’s Hamlet. The Hamlet character in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead is used to point out the absurdity of the actions depicted in Shakespeare’s play. He thus appears to have more in common with Charlie Chaplin than the actual Hamlet character people are familiar with. Full of life and completely crazy, Hamlet’s actions on stage were hilarious, to say the least.
Strachan played the charismatic Player, in charge of his band of tragedians, with whom he ventures around in search of an audience. Graceful on stage and sporting an excellent accent, Strachan was memorable but didn’t outshine the two leads, though he helped heighten their own performances and challenge their ideals as characters. The Player, in his own way, foretold the doom of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, with (of course) little success.
With so many actors in the play, I was worried that it might be too crowded and hard to concentrate on the right actors at the right time. However, thanks to excellent direction from U of M film studies professors Margaret Groome and Chris Johnson, the audience was able to follow not only the actors and actions of the play, but also the constantly shifting emotional registers: from joy to misery to confusion to an odd, and somewhat depressing, final understanding. The audience, myself included, left the play amazed, barely speaking a word. Quiet praises pertaining to the brilliance of the play were whispered as people vacated the theatre, with thoughts of the beautiful and haunting ending to a brilliantly executed play still firmly planted in their minds. I hope you were able to see this play: it’s one of the best I’ve seen in years.
