Our Favorite Pair of Losers: Acting Carries 'Rosencrantz & Guildenstern'

TOM STOPPARD'S ROSENCRANTZ AND GUILDENSTERN ARE Dead is all about reversing expectations. Stoppard brings the two most minor characters from Hamlet to the forefront of his play and explores the comedic--and occasionally existential--results of looking at life from their point of view. The current production at the Leverett Old Library seeks to place the audience in that very same position: in the empty room that constitutes the show's set, the two characters seem to be speaking not only to each other, but to an audience who can sympathize with their confused plight. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are always waiting for someone important--Hamlet, Claudius, or Polonius--to tell them what to do. In the meantime, their playful banter gives audience members much to think and laugh about while waiting for something to happen.

The very beginning of this production is a clever expression of how the play wants viewers to both recognize and share the pathos of the characters' unimportance. While everyone is still taking a seat and the lights are still on, the show begins with Rosencrantz tossing a coin and finding that it consistently turns up heads. There is no dialogue, other than Rosencrantz repeating "heads" every time he picks up the coin. Although this action will eventually introduce some of Stoppard's playfully theoretical elements, what's happening on stage doesn't yet seem important enough for the audience to stop chattering and pay attention. There is an awkward moment when the audience realizes that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern's coin tossing has actually marked the beginning of the play, creating a bemused pity for these two ignored souls.

As Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, Brendan Greaves '00 and Sara Yellen '00 give two endearing performances. Of course, they benefit from Stoppard's dialogue: nearly all of the lines for these characters are gems. Greaves and Yellen have the opportunity to work with some very whimsical ideas, and they get through Stoppard's tricky wordplay well. They make their characters pathetically determined and sweetly likable, giving the play its heart.

However, they are nearly upstaged by Henry Clarke '00, who turns in a very strong performance in the bit part of Hamlet. Since Hamlet is not the real focus here, we are only treated to snippets of his antic ravings and self-important brooding. But Clarke's characterization makes these bits very funny and prominent, almost undermining Stoppard's vision of Hamlet as a peripheral presence.

Clarke's high-strung, fast-paced approach presents a contrast to the rest of production, which is hindered by its pacing. The action and the dialogue are sometimes slow, making the play less powerful and often weakening the comedy. In scenes where the pacing is quicker and more appropriate for Stoppard's insightful repartees, like the game of "questions" played by Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, the play becomes more vibrant and engaging. But most of the time, the production relies on long dramatic pauses that leave the audience wondering what overwhelming thoughts have paralyzed the characters. Similarly, the amount of time the player and his troupe are given to perform silently on stage breaks up the dialogue, which is the play's main strength. This approach takes away from the fluidity of Stoppard's ideas and ultimately makes the production longer than it needs to be.

Overall, however, the bulk of Stoppard's genius comes through. The two sensitive main performers overcome moments of slowness in their presentation by simply persisting in their pitiful, confusing quest. This production of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead has a firm grasp on Stoppard's humor and his upside-down view of the situation, making for a worthy evening of entertainment. But the directors needed to sustain a more frenzied, fast-paced atmosphere to make this jaunty and subversive play the thought-provoking pleasure that it should be.