Review: RHINOCEROS: Collective Psychosis or The People's Choice?

Rhinoceros

Written by Eugene Ionesco, Translated by Derek Prouse, Adapted and Directed by Wesley Savick; Scenic Design, Sara Brown; Costume Design, Leslie Held; Lighting Design, Jeff Adelberg; Sound Design, David Remedios; Stage Manager, Anna Burnham; Assistant Stage Manager, Katie Graves; Production Manager, Jim Bernhardt; Dramaturge, Paige Monopoli

CAST (in alphabetical order): Jake Athyal, Brian Bernhard, Matt Finn, Molly Kimmerling, Robert Kropf, Raya Malcolm, Dana Nacer, Nael Nacer, Alex Pollock, Laurie Riihimaki

Performances through March 13, co-production of Suffolk University/Boston Playwrights' Theatre at The Modern Theatre at Suffolk University, 525 Washington Street, Boston, MA; Box Office 866-811-4111 or www.bostonplaywrights.org

Raise your hand if you are flabbergasted by the thundering herd of followers of one colorful, larger than life, narcissistic, bombastic (I could go on) presidential candidate. If the current political morass astounds you and seems absurd, then I have a show for you. The Suffolk University/Boston Playwrights' Theatre co-production of Rhinoceros, newly adapted by Wesley Savick from Derek Prouse's translation, features a Boston setting, but maintains the themes of Eugene Ionesco's 1959 classic play from the Cold War era. Things being as they are, that sort of feels like the good old days, yet we are reminded that conformity, fascism, and totalitarianism have never gone out of style.

The simple premise in Rhinoceros is that things go from normal to not in the blink of an eye. One minute Berenger (Nael Nacer) is having drinks with his friend Jean (Alex Pollock) in a café, discussing how depressing his life is, and the next minute, a rhinoceros rumbles down the street, eliciting horrified shrieks from passersby and everyone in the restaurant. Disturbing as the sight may be, the citizenry is fascinated by the phenomenon and it becomes water cooler conversation at Berenger's office. Hotshot lawyer Stinger (Brian Bernhard) and the demanding boss Mrs. Butterfly (Dana Nacer) are going by the report in the Boston Herald that a cat was trampled, but skeptical, know-it-all Lumpen (Robert Kropf) thinks it's all a journalistic lie. When Daisy (Raya Malcolm) and Berenger confirm that they and many others were witnesses, Lumpen dismisses it as "collective psychosis."

That may be an apt diagnosis as more and more people join the herd, but Berenger struggles against getting swept up in the frenzy. He begins to see the hoof-writing on the wall when his strong, accomplished friend Jean succumbs to the metamorphosis before his eyes. The scene with Pollock's transformation, evocative of Bruce Banner morphing into the Incredible Hulk, is worth the price of admission, abetted by the clever staging of Nacer's bedside presence. At that point, the seriousness of the situation hits Berenger squarely in the forehead and he realizes that, if Jean was not immune, the animal takeover may be unstoppable. Sound familiar?

It is impossible not to draw parallels with the blind conformity of the population in the play to the throngs of supporters attaching themselves like barnacles to the underbelly of the campaign of the likely Republican nominee. As Daisy says to Berenger when they are the lone holdouts, "Maybe they're right," apparently reconsidering the virtues of standing up for an unpopular position at the expense of having to become the mother of a new civilization. Perhaps hearing the Rudyard Kipling verse in his unconscious mind ("If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs...), Berenger insists that he will stay human or die trying. One wonders if he eschews conformity out of principle, or if he is continuing his long term pattern of being unable to adapt to his surroundings.

Nacer gives a monster of a performance in this challenging role. Berenger is kind of a slacker who has had difficulty finding his way in life since becoming a grown-up and he is reminded of just how far he has not come whenever he is in the company of Jean or Stinger. His longing for a relationship with Daisy is suppressed by his low self-esteem, but he becomes absolutely giddy when she displays the slightest interest in him. He is unperturbed by the initial rhinoceros sighting, but as he grows to understand the implications, Nacer shows us his character's anxiety, weakness, and his later resolve.

Most of the ten-actor cast play dual roles and successfully distinguish their characters, getting a helping hand from costume designer Leslie Held. The ensemble works together with precision timing when the rhinoceros first appears and they shout and scream and point, like a scene from a horror movie. Lighting designer Jeff Adelberg and sound designer David Remedios add to the dramatic effect with bright lights and thunderous galloping hooves, evoking a strong image for the audience despite the fact that we never actually see the marauding animals. Sara Brown's multi-level stage backs up to a black curtain with a ladder ascending and features side stairways to approach a higher or lower tier that suggest different locales, including the café, the office, Jean's apartment, and Berenger's apartment.

Savick's direction gives the play an intense, as well as intimate, quality. In the cozy confines of the Modern Theatre, the audience is close to the action and able to feel the earth tremble when the rhinos approach. The standard of the performances varies, with strong showings by Kropf, Dana Nacer, and Bernhard. Molly Kimmerling provides tragicomic relief as Lady With Cat/Mrs. Boeuf, and Malcolm has some good moments, but Daisy's motives are hard to decipher. Jake Athyal and Laurie Riihimaki as Mr. & Mrs. Shopowner and Matt Finn as Logic Student are loud and over the top, but they are probably following direction, and they each come across better in their secondary roles (Fireman, Old Woman, and Old Man, respectively). Rhinoceros runs an intermissionless 110 minutes, but my tolerance for the thematic repetition and absurdity bordering on the ridiculous expired about halfway through. The play issues important warnings, but its impact could be more potent by thinning the herd.

Photo credit: Stratton McCrady (Alex Pollock, Nael Nacer)

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