Rude Mechanicals will bring the minor characters of "Hamlet" to life as it puts on "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead" April 6-8 in the Tavern.
"We chose this particular play for several reasons, the most important of which are that it is a classic, it is hilarious as well as moving and handles existential themes that are relevant today," Director Lauren Barredo, a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences, said.
The play, written by Tom Stoppard, takes place "outside the action of Shakespeare's ["Hamlet"] but restricted by its plot," Barredo and Stage Manager Kate Molski, a senior in the School of International Service and CAS, wrote in the Director's Notes.
The play begins in absolute confusion, as the title characters converse in a nameless location. Neither is sure who he is -- Shakespeare gave them no history or background, so they aren't aware of one, and each is looking for meaning in his own seemingly senseless existence.
The Mechanicals use the script quite well, placing characters into different realms of reality. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, completely unaware they are in a play, search for meaning in melodrama, while the cast of characters from "Hamlet" is aware of the audience but does not play to it. The Tragedians, on the other hand, are both aware of the audience and interact with it.
For this reason, if no other, the decision to present the play in the round is a fascinating one, full of existential meaning.
If actors are the opposite of people, as The Player, played by Gavin Skal, a sophomore in the School of Public Affairs and CAS, points out with a dramatic flourish, what does that mean to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern's very tenuous existence?
The play is quite a challenging piece, making set changes and even characters difficult to recognize for the audience. For instance, viewers never do find out which actor plays Rosencrantz and which plays Guildenstern, and while this confusion is intentional, some of the confusion is misplaced, making the action, at times, hard to follow.
Despite the performance's flaws, Joanna Holmes, a sophomore in SPA and CAS, presents a compelling Hamlet, whom Rosencrantz, played by Allison Gosney, a sophomore in CAS, and Guildenstern, played by Krista Simmons, a freshman in SIS, must struggle to understand.
As the duo grapples with whether Hamlet is truly insane, a question that readers of Shakespeare's famous "Hamlet" will identify with, they recognize "half of what he said meant something else, and the other half meant nothing at all."
Neither Gosney nor Simmons misses a beat of the many lines of banter, an impressive feat in itself, and each does a fair job of convincing the audience of her utter confusion.
While some of the play's hilarity is lost amid the audience's confusion, lovers of "Hamlet" and of existential comedy alike will appreciate the intricacies of the Rude Mechanical's performance.
