SPOILER ALERT: Rosencratz and Guildenstern are Dead

By Jessica Peregrina ’15

Come one, come all to Immaculate Heart’s rendition of “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead” – a tale of two men who embark to figure out their own destiny while being bombarded with suicidal princes, creepy players and their own disbeliefs of probability. This weekend, director Heather Chesley will display the outlandish antics of Tom Stoppard’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, a play set in the time of Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, but taken from the perspective of the two minor characters Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, of course.

The senior leads, Kathryn Teaney as Guildenstern and Olivia Indik as Rosencrantz, will guide the audience through their entire journey, never once leaving the stage. Talk about commitment. Then there are the “players” of the play, who accompany the two soul-seekers throughout most of the production. Originally, the play featured only one Player King who voiced all his ideals, but Chesley said she “divided the role of Player King among 10 actors.  Each player represents a different world view, a different ideology, but together they function as a unit.  We have put them more into the roles of circus performers. There is an element of spectacle and chaos it adds to the show.”

     And the world that these players live will take place in the incredible spectacle that is Immaculate Heart’s very own auditorium. How, you might ask? For this weekend only, the entire auditorium has been transformed into an askew and beautiful world that can only be summed up as controlled chaos with dashes of gold, thanks to set designers Danielle Cygal and Morgan Gardiner. There are trapezes hanging from the ceiling, a stage with many different platforms and levels, and audience seating on three sides of the stage, making the audience feel “very much like they are on top of the show, a part of it,” explained Chesley.

But, if all of these reasons are not good enough for your viewing tastes, come enjoy the show for the intellectual stimulation and the oncoming existential crisis. Or as Chesley eloquently stated, “These men are a metaphor for our life experience, the journey from birth to death.  So while the play is a puzzle to be played, enjoyed and laughed at, the questions are difficult, scary and revolve around our mortality.”

Buy your tickets now for the absurd, and altogether spectacular play Rosencratz and Guildenstern are Dead. Or wait for the buzz that will surely follow once the weekend concludes and thank your drama teacher and the entire cast for all of their hard work and for giving an amazing experience.

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