'Rosencrantz' gives new angle

For the Daily

Following a summer filled with Blair Witches and shagadelic spies, "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead," a play produced by Basement Arts, represents an opportunity to stimulate one's curiosities about life in a humorous and entertaining manner. A Critics' Circle Award winner, the play offers a different view of the popular tragedy "Hamlet" from contemporary British playwright Tom Stoppard, one of the writers of last year's Oscar-winning film "Shakespeare in Love."

While the Shakespearean play "Hamlet" can occasionally be seen onstage, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern exist in a chaotic world, lacking order and coherence. The characters are first seen flipping a coin continuously, only to find the same results regardless of the seeming absurdity of a coin being tossed repeatedly.

One of the more playful takes on Shakespeare's "Hamlet" occurs when the tragic prince gives his "To Be or Not To Be" soliloquy. Of course, he is blissfully unaware of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern's presence, while they are curious as to why Hamlet is always talking to himself. The characters' bewilderment engages the audience, causing them to question the truth.

Following closely in the tradition of Samuel Beckett, "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern" deals with the fundemental alienation of the characters from themselves, others and the world in which in they live. The audience plays an ironic role during the action, for they know the fate of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern and all the characters, while those onstage are unaware of their destiny.

Playing a minor part without a purpose in Shakespeare's world, Stoppard elevates these bit players to the spotlight. While one is more intuitive and spontaneous, the other is driven by his intellect and reason. Their contrasting perceptions of the world illustrate the human conflict between one's heart and mind. Despite any attempt at reason or intuition, they are still unable to interpret the outside world.

Directing his first play, Eddie Murray will present Stoppard's masterpiece from a new angle. The Basement Arts theater group as a whole decided on the direction the play would go, stressing the importance of ensemble and process, rather than on star and production.

The casting of a female Hamlet, a male Ophelia, and a female lead role, serves to confound the already complex identity of the characters. The play also includes explicit sex designs to titillate the audience. Murray describes the play as a "passionate, driven, focused and playful theatrical experience. It is a sexual, sensual and intellectual experience.

09-15-99