Where death and beauty intersect
Show invokes profound questions
Few productions ask as many profound questions as W.P. Wagner High School’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead. The intricacy and interconnectedness of this production, through its combination of technical and acting elements, evoked the beauty and fleeting nature of life as well as the importance of friendship in times of turmoil.
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead follows the title characters, who have minor roles in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, in a tale of life, death and what it means to live. Along the way, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern meet up with the Tragedians and characters in Hamlet, as they try to recall the past and their uncertain future. They are summoned by the king to discover the source of Hamlet’s strange behaviour but end up becoming a pawn in Hamlet’s twisted game. As Rosencrantz and Guildenstern flip coins and ask questions, the world seems to slip by too soon, and death catches up with them.
The technical elements of set, lighting, costuming and sound built a unified vision of complexity and mystery. The lighting design, crafted eloquently by Grace Lawrence and executed by Nasiv Adhikari, suspended the room in a moment of time, using subtle nuances of light to bring forward the deep breadth of emotion presented in this show.
The set, having an abstract, dystopian style with cloth strips dangling from the roof and scaffolding, suspended the characters in a strange unknown time and place, which easily transformed into a ship later in the show.
Mohamed Ahmed as Rosencrantz and Malcolm Vick as Guildenstern offered up the best of their talent in an astounding testament to acting. Their comedic timing, diction and skill shone brilliantly throughout the production. The sheer number of lines, as well as the topics they covered, were astonishing, and both young men played well off each other, building a wonderful chemistry. As Hamlet’s story crosses paths with that of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, the characters’ philosophical conversations and the obtuse nature of Hamlet’s court become foils for each other, emphasized further by very different acting styles.
The ensemble group of the wonderful Tragedians, led by the Player (Jaylin January), greatly enhanced the story as they whisked around with overdramatic flare and comedic timing. The three distinctly differing groups introduced many layers to the tale, emphasizing the importance of comedy and tragedy in life.
W.P. Wagner’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead was an insightful reflection on the beauty of life and death.
This production perfected a difficult balance of comedy, tragedy and philosophy. The production was delightfully thought-provoking, sincere and a gorgeous combination of its technical and acting elements.