Lakewood Playhouse to Celebrate 50th Anniversary of ROSENCRANTZ & GUILDENSTERN ARE DEAD

The Lakewood Playhouse will present the fifth show of its 78th Season - ROSENCRANTZ & GUILDENSTERN ARE DEAD, presented with THE FIFTEEN MINUTE HAMLET, both by Tom Stoppard. The theatre is proud to be part of the 50th Anniversary celebration of Tom Stoppard's comedy masterpiece.

Both shows will be performed Fridays, Saturdays at 8:00pm and Sundays at 2:00pm. Performances will be April 14th through May 7th with special showings at 8:00pm on Thursday, April 27th (Pay What You Can Night) and 8:00pm on Thursday, May 4th ("Pay What You Can" Actor's Benefit).

Presented in the Lakewood Playhouse's thrust configuration with seating facing the stage as well on both of its sides, this production of "ROSENCRANTZ & GUILDENSTERN ARE DEAD" will place you in the center of this verily lively comedy turns "Hamlet," and life as we know it, inside out and upside down.

Not familiar with the story of HAMLET? We've got you covered with a whip-smart, comedic crash course in "THE FIFTEEN MINUTE HAMLET!"

Both "ROSENCRANTZ & GUILDENSTERN ARE DEAD" and "THE 15 MINUTE HAMLET" will be directed by BEAU M.K. PRICHARD, who returns to the Lakewood Playhouse after last season's "A FEW GOOD MEN" and "THE WOMAN IN BLACK" in 2013.

The production features a number of actors that either new to The Playhouse stage or have become audience favorites - Including two returning clowns from 2015's "THE 39 STEPS" - Paul Richter (Guildenstern) and Frank Roberts (Rosencrantz).

The cast also includes: Nathan Rice (Player), Dylan Twiner (Hamlet), Gabi Marler (Ophelia), Dayna Childs (Gertrude), BEN STAHL (Claudius), Scott Pinkston (Polonius), Theresa M Byrd (Tragedian), Jenny Davy (Alfred), Silva Goetz ( Tragedian), Noah Goucher (Tragedian), Shelby Ishman (Tragedian) and Breann Nichols (Tragedian).

Acclaimed as a modern comedic masterpiece, Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead is the fabulously inventive tale of Hamlet as told from the worm's-eye view of the bewildered Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, two minor characters in Shakespeare's play.

In Tom Stoppard's best-known work, this Shakespearean Laurel and Hardy finally get a chance to take the lead role, but do so in a world where echoes of Waiting for Godot resound, where reality and illusion intermix, and where fate leads our two heroes to a tragic but inevitable end.

Following his success with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, the author continues his association with Hamlet by taking the most famous and best loved lines from Shakespeare's play and condensing them into a hilarious thirteen minute version. This miraculous feat is followed by an encore - a two minute version! The multitude of characters is played by six actors with hectic doubling, and the action takes place at an abridged Elsinore Castle.

The Lakewood Playhouse was founded in 1938 and has established itself with theatre that is both intimate and epic. The theatre is located within the Lakewood Towne Center, 5729 Lakewood Towne Center Blvd., Lakewood, Washington 98499. For further information about "ROSENCRANTZ & GUILDENSTERN ARE DEAD" and "THE 15 MINUTE HAMLET" contact the Box Office at the Lakewood Playhouse (253) 588-0042.

AUDIENCE WARNING: This play is intelligent, witty, thoughtful and just plain silly. Presented Under Special Arrangement with Samuel French Incorporated.

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