BY: Kodi Robertson
Anyone who has ever heard of William Shakespeare knows or has at least heard of “Hamlet”. “Hamlet” is the classic revenge tragedy that has been retold over and over, and over, and over again. Retellings of the same story is quite common in theatre, but spin-offs are where these stories shine brightest. “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead!” gives audiences the story of “Hamlet” from the perspective of comic relief characters Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. For those who do not know, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are friends of Hamlet’s from school. Imagine Timon and Pumba from “The Lion King” being able to tell their side of the story. Wait, they already have a movie for that? That is because “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead!” provided the “Lion King ½” inspiration and opportunity for Disney to cash out as much as possible from the masterpiece that still is The Lion King.
Cloverdale Playhouse is rounding up the end of their play season with “Rosencrantz And Guildenstern are Dead!” after a successful run with their previous showing of the play adaptation of “The Hobbit”. The Playhouse is looking to have similar success with “Rosencrantz And Guildenstern are Dead!” as Sarah Walker Thornton takes the charge as director of the show. Taken from the point of view of the two famed comic reliefs, “Rosencrantz And Guildenstern are Dead!” tackles the idea of importance in the world. “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead!” stars Marcus Clement and Jacob Holmberg as the titular characters as they explore the world of their friend Hamlet. Most viewers come to see Hamlet to focus of course on the titular character, this same expectation can be made in “Rosencrantz And Guildenstern are Dead!” with the exception of knowing that the story still revolves around Prince Hamlet. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern comically bring to the table the idea of lesser characters having a vital role to play. The play celebrates the concept of giving meaning and purpose to characters that most viewers would not bat an eye for. The humor lies in knowing all the characters may die but they do so with a silly sense of elegance and grace.
The Cloverdale Playhouse has been working most weekdays at around 6:30 p.m. readying up for opening night on October 11. Thornton even managed to cast Theatre AUM’s own Technical Director Mike Winkelman as the leader of the Players that act out the death of Hamlet’s father via puppetry. Sarah Thornton’s connection with Mike Winkelman has provided another network of up and coming college professional actors with means to continue honing their craft. The collaboration between Cloverdale and AUM has been consistent as graduates like Jonathan Meinsler are given roles and opportunities to further their own resumes. Cloverdale Playhouse opened “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead!” Oct. 11–21 at 7:30 p.m. on Thursdays through Saturdays with 2:00 p.m. matinee on Sundays.
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09J7wol0EkA[/embedyt]
Image Source: http://www.cloverdaleplayhouse.org/2017-season