Review for “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead” Theatre UAF Spring 2008

April 18- 27, 2008

The directorial choice to cast women in the roles Rosencrantz and Guildenstern was a bold one, but in my eyes ultimately a success. At first I was hesitant with this decision, concerned that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern’s identity as women would be too overbearing and distracting, for the characters themselves and their relationships with the other characters in the play. However, by dressing Rosencrantz and Guildenstern in men’s business suits, and styling their hair and makeup for an androgynous look, my first and continuing impressions of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern were not “these two characters are women,” but rather these are two intriguing characters which have my attention, their gender or sex not the primary focus of their characters. To me, this was great achievement and I would be thrilled to see more plays experiment in this fashion. The rest of the cast was very distinctly marked by feminine or masculine roles, no question to what gender they are intended to portray (both within the play and troop of players). By having Rosencrantz and Guildenstern have ambiguous gender roles, it separates them from the rest of the characters in the play, further creating a gap between the active agents (such as Hamlet) and the doomed Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. One thought did plague me during the show when considering the identities of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. To me it was not clear if the characters of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are women, or Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are men, being played be women.

Another choice which I found displeasing was the comic energy between Rosencrantz and Guildenstern was not thoroughly explored. Instead, displays of angst, tragic desperation and hopelessness seemed to be the main method for Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to express their dialogue. As an audience, there was little or no comic tragedy in the impending deaths of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Between Rosencrantz’s caustic attitude and Guildenstern’s emotional breakdowns, it was difficult to connect, understand and empathize with the two lead characters. To me this choice drained much of the energy out of the play leaving the audience confused and disengaged.

However, once scene which sent chills (the good kind) down my spine was when Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are contemplating what it would be like to be put in a grave. The blocking was both visually and emotionally haunting, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern laying down on opposite ends of the stage, as if in coffins, the lighting casting their skin to the hue of corpses. Their frank discussion on the finality of death was timeless, making each person in the audience consider their own mortality. Another factor which emphasized the ultimate fate of death was Rosencrantz and Guildenstern’s physical separation from one another (as they have been closely connected, physically and verbally, from the start of the play) further creating a sense of impending doom, yet also the stark isolation in the grave.

As a whole I felt the play would have been more accessible to the audience as a comic tragedy (as any comic elements were far and fleeting), rather than developing the gloomier facets of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. However, this production of “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead” did accomplish some bold choices, resulting in a contemplative, if confusing show.