Mammoth Lakes Repertory Theatre

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead

by Tom Stoppard

(Performing in early March) 

A modern masterpiece, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead is the fabulously inventive tale of Hamlet as told from the worm’s-eye view of two minor characters in Shakespeare’s play.

Acclaimed as a modern dramatic masterpiece, Rosencrantz and 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 the great 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 reality and illusion are entwined, and where fate leads our two heroes to a tragic but inevitable end.

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CHARACTER DESCRIPTIONS

(Note: with the exception of Rosencrantz, Guildenstern and The Player, the Hamlet characters’

lines are almost all the same as in Shakespeare’s Hamlet)

 

Rosencrantz - Male

Guildenstern – Male

The Player – Male or Female

Alfred – (one of the tragedians) – Male

Tragedians – Male and Female – will appear androgynous; actors will play multiple roles – looking especially for actors that can play musical instruments,  juggle, gymnastics

Hamlet – Male

Ophelia – Female (no lines in this play)

Claudius - Male

Gertrude - Female

Polonius – Male

Horatio – Female or Male

Fortinbras – Male or Female

Various – courtiers, soldiers, ambassadors

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Rosencrantz (Male)

Stoppard deliberately refrains from giving much description of either of his main characters. Both Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are meant to be “everyman” figures. Nevertheless, both men have specific character traits. Rosencrantz is decidedly the more easygoing of the two, happy to continue flipping coins with little concern about the possible implications of their pattern of landing heads up. Rosencrantz spends a great deal of the play confused by both what is happening around him and Guildenstern’s reactions to their situation, but he rarely engages in the overt despair that is characteristic of Guildenstern. Rosencrantz is pragmatic and seeks simple and efficient solutions to the pair’s problems rather than philosophical explanations of them, a trait that leads Guildenstern to believe that his friend is complacent and unwilling or unable to think seriously and deeply.

Rosencrantz is capable of sensitive thought.

Guildenstern (Male)

On the surface,  Guildenstern is markedly more anxious than Rosencrantz about the strange circumstances in which they find themselves, beginning with his deep concern about the coin-flipping episode. Unlike Rosencrantz, Guildenstern wants desperately to understand their situation, and he tries to reason his way through the incidents that plague them. Guildenstern’s belief that there is a rational explanation for their predicament leads him to sudden bursts of strong emotion as he grows increasingly frustrated by his inability to make sense of the world around him. Guildenstern’s frustration is heightened by what he sees as Rosencrantz’s jovial indifference. Guildenstern’s subtle gestures within the play show him to be capable of compassion and sympathetic understanding. After arriving at Elsinore and becoming even more confused by Claudius’s reception of the pair, Guildenstern soothes a tongue-tied Rosencrantz and promises him that they will be able to return home soon. Similarly, after belittling Rosencrantz for failing to say anything original when they are on board the ship to England, Guildenstern recognizes his friend’s suffering and promises him that everything will turn out okay.

The Player (Male or Female)

The Player is the most mysterious of the play’s characters. He/she seems to possess a far greater understanding of the events transpiring than does either Rosencrantz or Guildenstern. The Player’s witty speeches often hint at the possibility that she/he could reveal the truth if only Rosencrantz and Guildenstern knew how to ask the right questions. Upon first meeting the pair, the Player claims to recognize them as artists like himself, a description that implies an awareness that they are all merely actors in a drama that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern do not understand and can barely acknowledge.

The Player’s air of mysterious control and omniscience contrasts sharply with his shameful occupation as a pimp for the men in his acting troupe, whose bodies he will happily sell if the opportunity arises. The Player’s confidence is also apparent in their serious belief in the integrity of theater in general and the Tragedians’ performances in particular. This belief infuriates the skeptical and philosophical Guildenstern, but the Player remains entirely unflappable in the face of Guildenstern’s rage. The Player’s combination of a lowly, shameful appearance with dazzling wit, mysterious power, and defiant confidence make them an unlikely but fascinating ringmaster for the play’s circus of confusion.

Alfred (Tragedian – Male) Slight in appearance, typical of Shakespearean actors he always plays the female roles.

Tragedians (Males/Females)

A group of traveling male actors. The Tragedians specialize in melodramatic and sensationalistic performances, and they are willing to engage in sexual entertainments if the price is right. All the tragedians play multiple characters throughout the play, including “The Murder of Gonzago” as in Shakepeare’s Hamlet. Ability to play a musical instrument is helpful – drum, flute, lute, ukelele, kazoo)

Hamlet

The prince of Denmark and a childhood friend of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Hamlet’s strange behavior confuses the other characters, especially Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Stoppard includes many of Hamlet’s most notable scenes in a way that casts them in a new light.

Claudius

Hamlet’s uncle and the new king of Denmark. Claudius is a sinister character who tries to exploit the friendship between Rosencrantz, and Guildenstern and Hamlet to learn what Hamlet believes about the king’s marriage to Gertrude.

Gertrude

Hamlet’s mother and the queen of Denmark. Although she has disgraced herself by marrying Claudius so soon after her husband’s death, Gertrude does seem to care for Hamlet’s well-being and sincerely hopes that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern can help her son.

Polonius

A member of the Danish court and adviser to Claudius. Polonius is a shifty man, willing to interrogate Hamlet and even spy on him to learn what he wants to know.

Ophelia

The daughter of Polonius and Hamlet’s former beloved. Ophelia spends the play in a state of shock and anguish as a result of Hamlet’s bizarre conduct. (In the R&G play, she has no lines.)

Laertes

The son of Polonius and brother of Ophelia. Laertes does not appear in the action of the play, but his corpse appears in the final scene. (Again, no lines.)

Horatio – Hamlet’s best friend. Actor may play multiple roles. lines)

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