David Mirvish & Neptune Theatre/Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Useless, by Tom Stoppard, directed by Jeremy Webb, CAA Theatre, till Apr. 6. Tickets right here.

To be completely frank, Tom Stoppard’s 1966 play Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Useless has not aged nicely. Whereas later choices from this playwright proceed to dazzle, sadly, R&GAD falls flat.

I keep in mind the thrill of seeing R&GAD in New York when it was a runaway Broadway hit, and being entranced by Stoppard’s good tackle absurdist existentialism. I believed the playwright was so intelligent in constructing a plot round two minor characters from Shakespeare’s Hamlet. In Stoppard’s R&GAD, we do see the few instances that Hamlet’s childhood buddies truly seem within the play, however in the primary, it’s how they behave when they’re alone that’s on the coronary heart of Stoppard’s imaginative and prescient.

Sadly, over a few years and a number of other productions later, the play has misplaced its lustre. What was as soon as witty repartee, provocative philosophical musings, and an enticing dialogue on artwork versus actuality, has grow to be a pompous avalanche of phrases that appears too intelligent by half. The inconsistencies within the plot stand out, whereas the absurdist components are now not humorous. The truth is, the play is extra tedious, than anything.

As nicely, Stoppard’s R&GAD just isn’t helped by the truth that it is rather much like Samuel Beckett’s Ready for Godot (1953), with its two characters additionally in existential limbo, however which has aged superbly with its financial system of phrases and clear presentation of concepts. Did Stoppard intentionally copy Beckett as his place to begin? Who is aware of?

Thus, stripping away the failings of the play, what we’re left with are the 2 actors who carry out R&G and who, over three lengthy acts, barely depart the stage.

In one of many adverts for this manufacturing from Halifax’s Neptune Theatre, R&G are carried out by two actors who appeared in Peter Jackson’s Oscar-winning Lord of the Rings trilogy (2000-2003). But, I discover it exhausting to imagine that anybody is coming to see this play as a result of two Hobbits from virtually 20 years in the past are its stars.

Quite, what’s gracing the stage are two very skilful British actors who’ve the chops to hold the present. The truth is, the workforce of English Dominic Monaghan (Rosencrantz) and Scottish Billy Boyd (Guildenstern) is certainly one of this manufacturing’s few redeeming options, regardless of director Jeremy Webb’s sluggish pacing.

The casting took place as a result of Webb, Neptune’s creative director, bought to know Boyd when the latter was filming varied tasks in Nova Scotia. It was Webb’s thought to unite Boyd together with his good good friend Monaghan to play R&G, and that pairing definitely works. What I actually like about these actors is that they’re clearly in a position to distinguish between the 2 characters who are sometimes portrayed as two halves of the identical complete.

Guildenstern is the extra philosophical and questioning, and Boyd superbly captures his virtually idée fixe of following his personal thought trajectory no matter what’s going on round him. He superbly builds an arc for an oblivious Guildenstern who’s entranced by his personal seeming intelligence.

Then again, Monaghan is a fussy, virtually timid Rosencrantz, however he’s additionally extra of a realist, and it’s he who has a greater grasp of their unusual state of affairs — within the courtroom, but in addition exterior it. The actor additionally does a wonderful job in following the lead of the verbose Guildenstern, however in Monaghan’s succesful palms, Rosencrantz may also assert himself when he should.

Stoppard has made a key a part of his plot the travelling gamers, who, in Hamlet, carry out earlier than the courtroom. R&G carry on working into them all through the play, and their chief, merely referred to as The Participant (Michael Blake), is important for presenting the artwork versus actuality theme. Blake, who final 12 months at Stratford performed two Shakespeare villains, will get an opportunity to actually strut his stuff on this flamboyant function. He brings a wanted vitality to the stage.

When not taking part in characters from Shakespeare’s Hamlet as wanted, the opposite ten actors are members of The Participant’s appearing troupe, they usually do a superb job as a Greek refrain, of kinds. There are additionally some superb actors right here — Pasha Ebrahimi as Hamlet, Jonathan Ellul as Claudius, Walter Borden as Polonius, Raquel Duffy as Gertrude, and Helen Belay as Ophelia. Drew Douris-O’Hara will get an amusing flip as Alfred, a tragedian who performs ladies’s roles.

Now we come to Andrew Cull’s annoying set which is a financial institution of bleachers that seem like refugees from a highschool soccer subject. Sure, they do transfer round, and, sure, they’re able to separate to create varied venues, however they’re awkward and ugly. Director Webb has poor Monaghan and Boyd clambering up and down the rows all through the play which turns into distracting over time. The truth is, you are concerned about their security.

Kaelen MacDonald’s costumes are a wierd mixture of centuries that embody an inexplicable quick circus tutu skirt for Gertrude. Why lighting designer Leigh Ann Vardy has made the stage so darkish is anybody’s guess. The simplest member of the artistic workforce is composer Deanna H. Choi’s atmospheric sound design.

I sincerely hope that first time G&RAD viewers members, and I’m positive there are lots of, have the identical burst of pleasure at their encounter with the play, as a result of Stoppard’s Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Useless does diminish with every successive viewing.

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Paula Citron is a Toronto-based freelance arts journalist and broadcaster who hosts her personal web site, paulacitron.ca. For over 25 years, she was senior dance author for The Globe and Mail, affiliate editor of Opera Canada journal, arts reviewer for Classical 96.3 FM, and dance previews contributor to Toronto Life journal. She has been a visitor lecturer for varied cultural teams and universities, notably on the function of the critic/reviewer, and has been a panellist on COC podcasts. Earlier than assuming a full-time journalism profession, Ms. Citron was a member of the drama division of the Claude Watson College for the Arts.

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