BWW Reviews: Wilbury Group's Surprising ROSENCRANTZ & GUILDNESTERN ARE DEAD is A Must-See

It may sound strange but, at its best, theater is not unlike an ecosystem in the natural world. Every organism in nature interacts with every other organism. All the various parts of that system, living and nonliving, must work together so that the system as a whole can survive and thrive. Similarly, every part of a theatrical production must work well together. All the elements, acting, directing, sound, lights, costumes, etc. must be working in harmonious union. If not, it's just a gathering of disconnected ideas, concepts and gimmicks, making a collection of nice parts but not a cohesive whole. On the other hand, when done just right, all of the parts come together to create a perfectly executed singular vison. The Wilbury Group's Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead is exactly that type of show.

Going into Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, the less you know, the better. As some will be able to tell by the title, the play, written by Tom Stoppard in the 1960's, deals with two minor characters from Shakespeare's Hamlet. In that play, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern appear as two childhood friends of Hamlet who are tasked with finding out what is wrong with the prince. Stoppard's play is a sort of companion to or spin-off from Hamlet, as we see what the two young men might be doing when they are not on stage and not privy to the other events going on around them.

On the other hand, that may not be giving Stoppard and his play enough credit. It may be too simplistic to just say that what we're watching is what happened to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern when they were off-stage. It may be that what's happening is more absurdist or existential. It may be that we're seeing events that are only happening in the minds of the two characters, perhaps as they see their life flashing before their eyes, having just been killed. Or maybe they're long dead and reliving the last moments of their lives over and over. These interpretations are up to each audience member to decide upon, but they are there for the taking.

Another similarity between this play and Hamlet is the challenge presented by the text. Stoppard is known for his use of language and words, much like Shakespeare. And for both, it is of paramount importance that an actor is able to not just speak the text, but also to understand it, believe it and truthfully feel it. Luckily for us, director Josh Short has assembled a cast who are more than up to the task. They are able to handle all of the verbal challenges, whether it's Stoppard's words or those written by Shakespeare, which make frequent appearances. The three leading actors, especially, show an impressive talent with Stoppard's words, getting them out clearly and quickly, while never losing their meaning or emotional impact. That is a credit to them and to Short's direction as he guided them through the text. And major kudos to Short and his cast for taking a play that can be very dense and wordy and making it highly accessible, easy to digest, appreciate and enjoy.

On stage for most of the show, the actors playing Rosencrantz and Guildenstern must do much of the heavy lifting. For this, Short brought together two of the area's best young actors, Patrick Saunders and Joshua Andrews. Saunders plays the highly analytical and methodical Guildenstern with equally razor sharp delivery of both intellectual jargon and snarky sarcasm. As the less intellectual and more sensitive Rosencrantz, Andrews creates a character who is sympathetic and emotional, lovable but never fake or overacted. It's a pleasure to watch these two bounce off of each other and work together, their on-stage chemistry is part of what makes this a great production.

As the third leading character, simply known as The Player, David Tessier gives another in a growing list of brilliant performances. Tessier may have cornered the market on characters who are slightly to the left of sane, and that's meant as a compliment. His manic energy and wonderful sense of humor and comic timing are put to perfect use here as the leader of a band of tragedians. At times, The Player is fun and lovable, but at other times, there's something sinister behind his eyes, and it's all pulled of beautifully by Tessier.

Filling out the ensemble are a group of talented actors who alternate between Tragedians and the characters in Hamlet. Nile Hawver is quietly and broodingly excellent as Hamlet. The always wonderful Melissa Penick appears as Gertrude. Doing double duty, Julia Bartoletti demonstrates her skillful acting talent as Ophelia and her impressive pipes as a vocalist when she sings with the band.

Did I mention there's a band? One of the great things about The Wilbury Group, and one of the many reasons you should see this show, is you never know what to expect. And whatever it is, it will almost always be interesting and engaging. Here, a band just off-stage plays music and occasionally includes a vocalist, either Bartoletti or Tessier, who sing us a song. They're so good, it's almost a shame they don't sing and play more, "almost" only because if they did, it would take away from all the other great stuff that's going on.

That other great stuff is created, in part, by the Wilbury Group's excellent technical team. Monica Shinn's set design is perfectly minimalist, helping to tell the story without distracting from it. The same goes for the lighting design by Gerrit Turner, which, except for one odd lighting choice projected on the ceiling, perfectly sets the mood. Meg Donnelly's costumes are consistently good. Not sure how I feel about all the blue jeans, but there are some fabulous coats and footwear. Sound by Terry Shea, projections by Adam O'Brien and music direction by Marc Kaplan also all work together to create, support and execute this vision.

When they are firing on all cylinders, as they are here, there is nobody better than Wilbury Group at creating this type of surprising, entertaining and immersive theater. They've started with a brilliant script by one of our best contemporary playwrights, which is a great place to start. Having a group of talented artists who are all-in and appear to be fully committed to both the text and the director's vision makes it even better. It is a unique and exciting experience in all the best ways. With a limited number of seats, be sure to get your ticket early so you don't miss it.

Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead runs January 22 to February 14 at The Wilbury Theatre Group, 393 Broad Street, Providence RI. Tickets are $20-$25 and can be purchased by calling 401-400-7100 or ordering online at thewilburygroup.org. Performances are Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7:30pm and Sunday at 2pm (no performance Sunday the 8th).

Pictured (L to R): Patrick Saunders, Nile Hawver, & Josh Andrews. Photo by Maggie Hall & Nile Scott Shots.

To post a comment, you must register and login.