OK, now I get it. I now understand why the two characters of Rosencrantz & Guildernstern seemed so discordant to me when I saw Hamlet two days ago. Tonight I saw Tom Stoppard’s Rosencrantz & Guildernstern Are Dead at the Colorado Shakespeare Festival. I really lucked out without planning it, I saw their production of Hamlet first. In this production of the play, which involves a different perspective on the Hamlet play drops the scenes and actors from the Hamlet production into Rosencrantz & Guildenstern. It was quite effective.
It took me a while to warm up to the play. I’d heard about it but never seen it before. It’s supposed to be an innovative comedy based around two minor characters from Hamlet. The first part involved lots of talking and academic philosophical questions along with some inside jokes. I wasn’t guffawing to start with, maybe expecting something different, but eventually it pulled me in. What became impressive, the two main characters remain onstage (a mostly empty stage most of the time) for the entire play, and elements from the external world come in and effect them, but they never seem to have any control over what’s going on. They are led inexorably to their destiny. All the actors were fantastic, particularly the two leads. And while a comedy, while the final scene abruptly drops into the final Hamlet scene, it is quite sad and moving. It was carried out interestingly as bright lights flashed at the audience, momentarily blinding us, then in a moment the scene at Elsinore appeared with all the Hamlet actors (mostly dead). I’m quite glad I saw it, particularly as it was closely tied with the Hamlet production preceding it.
Trailer