'Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead' -- So what?

By Seth Hawkins

October 27, 2008 | Gertrude's demand in William Shakespeare's Hamlet, "more matter with less art," would be an apt recommendation for the USU Theatre production of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead.

But, then again, that was the purpose of the Tom Stoppard play, discovering the essence of matter and the role art plays in this world we live in.

The play that ran from Oct. 13-18 in the Black Box Theater in the Chase Fine Arts Center focuses on two minor characters from Shakespeare's masterpiece Hamlet. Though the plays are vastly different in style and artistic composition ­ Hamlet owning a clear dominance ­ they cross storylines frequently, but from the perspective of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.

While Hamlet is busy pondering on "whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer," the Dumb and Dumber-esque Rosencrantz and Guildenstern spend their time drifting through a world that makes little sense to them and even less sense to the audience.

The scenes in the play take creative license to show what Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are up to while not in the thick of action in Hamlet. The two are often the world's biggest idiots, playing games like Questions and picking at each other.

But at times, they break the mold and pause for a moment to speak on profound philosophical ideas, though they can never quite put their finger on what the philosophy means, nor is at apparent why they bother thinking about it in the first place.

In the midst of their ramblings, they meet The Player, a traveling actor in charge of a troupe of thespians. He is full of mischief and moral decadence and spends his time arguing with Guildenstern about the nature of acting and how it compares with reality. The Player, while not essential to the plot ­ whatever plot that might actually be ­ is a humorous sideshow that adds a lighter tone to events.

Like in Hamlet, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are required to take Hamlet to England with a note from the king of Denmark to have Hamlet killed. In the end, Hamlet switches the note, requesting that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern be killed instead, hence the title of the play.

While a simple storyline, the play is dominated by lengthy conversations between Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, requiring an immense amount of memorization from the title actors, who were played by women in the USU production.

Leslie Aldridge took the role of the bumbling, happy-go-lucky Rosencrantz, while Angie Roundy played the often serious, yet confused persona of Guildenstern. Casting females as the male leads only added to the absurdity of this obvious spoof and commentary on the meaning of life.

Aldridge was expert in her portrayal of Rosencrantz. Never leaving character, she delighted the audience with her goofy grin, wild laughs and playful behavior. She made Rosencrantz truly her own creation, going into the audience at one point and rummaging through a patron's purse. Though her lines were occasionally rushed, she never missed a line and was spot on in her performance.

Roundy, playing the more complicated Guildenstern, was a master of facial expression. Having the performance in the small space of the Black Box Theater provided an intimate enough setting that the audience could clearly see the wide-eyed stares, the roll of the eyes and the score of subtle facial expressions that added life to the character without a word being said. Her expressions carried the occasional points of the play that went on in complete silence. Neither she nor Aldridge was afraid to use the silence. Many actors, especially aspiring thespians, are afraid to let silence sit, fearing they may lose the audience. If anything, the silence told the story as effectively as the constant stream of dialogue.

However, the highlight of the play was The Player, performed by Jared Rounds. Whether or not his lisp was natural, the use of it in his portrayal of The Player was the perfect touch to this roguish character. He made liberal use of the stage and was rarely still for more than an instant, forcing the audience to be engaged whenever he was on.

Unfortunately, that was the extent of the acting talent. The other actors, though few in number, rushed their lines and failed to project loudly enough for the audience to hear. This was especially problematic since the minor characters used Shakespeare's old English, while Rosencrantz, Guildenstern and The Player all used speech more friendly to the 21st century listener.

Though the three main actors executed well, it was not enough to overcome some serious weaknesses, including the lack of any clear plot. It was obvious this was the intention of the writer, but it made it hard to figure out what was going on at any given moment. Because of this, the play could have wrapped up at intermission and been just as bizarre.

The real downer of the play came at the very end, the only point even vaguely resembling a climax. The spotlight went on the English ambassador, who was poised to deliver powerful words summing up the meaning of life and death. Unfortunately, these lines were mumbled so quietly that it killed whatever powerful impact could have come from the moment.

For a college production, done in short time and on a small budget, the execution of this challenging play was surprisingly good. The set design and costume design were particularly impressive. The costumes were all intricate and over the top, reminding one of a court jester, which fit the mood. The set, built specifically for this play, was expertly constructed to appear weathered and contained only browns, blacks and musty yellows, which reinforced the idea of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern's bleak existence.

Though free to USU students and relatively inexpensive for other patrons at $13 a ticket, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead was not worth the nearly two and a half hours it took to watch. It had its moments of hilarity, but the lack of a plot and supporting cast spoiled its chance at being a truly great performance, earning it a C+.

NW
MS