‘Rosencrantz and Guildenstern’ light up the stage

The Princeton Shakespeare Company occasionally ventures beyond the Bard’s own works to mount productions of more contemporary plays that reflect his reception in later drama. This outstanding production of “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead,” Tom Stoppard’s classic tragicomedy that catapults the two title characters from the fringes of “Hamlet” into the spotlight, is its latest such foray outside of the Shakespearean corpus.

Under the direction of Patrick Morton ’13, Zach Salk ’14 (Rosencrantz) and Evan Thompson ’14 (Guildenstern) shine as the two leads. There is a palpable chemistry between the duo that enables them to react smoothly and intuitively to one another and that often blurs the characters into a single entity, just as the script intends. This synergy is evident from the outset in the excellent choreographing of the famous first scene, in which the pair bet on flipping coins and alternate between astonishment and delight at obtaining heads 92 consecutive times. In addition to mastering the complex dialogue of the play, both actors use an impressively nuanced array of non-verbal cues to reveal their characters. Salk is especially effective at translating Rosencrantz’s frequent bemusement into looks of incredulity or astonishment.

The supporting actors are generally adequate, but fall well short of the excellence exhibited by Salk and Thompson. Tadesh Inagaki ’14 has by far the largest supporting part as the leader of a band of tragedians. Inagaki plays his character with an unrestrained excitement that alternates between effective and annoying. The itinerant tragedians, highlighted by an amusing Brandon Zamudio ’14 as Alfred, are solidly played. Zamudio is also a copy editor for The Daily Princetonian. Unfortunately, many of the scenes taken directly from “Hamlet” are acted too robotically to inspire much emotion. Morton does deserve commendation, however, for working with an exceptionally young cast — all 16 actors are freshmen or sophomores.

Morton’s production is exceptional in its use of its chosen — or, more realistically, assigned — performance space. “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern” naturally plays well in a small venue, and Morton takes this compatibility further through innovative staging that accesses every corner of the theater. During their lengthy game of “Questions,” Rosencrantz and Guildenstern stand in opposite aisles and shout their queries across the audience. In several of the “Hamlet” scenes, performers effortlessly weave in and out of the audience, and at one point Salk took a seat beside a startled spectator for several minutes. Far from making the space feel cramped or inadequate, these choices highlight the great theatrical potential of an intimate performance space, while also reflecting the marginal status of the eponymous leads.

The set by Liliana-Meropi Aslanidou ’12 is appropriately simple and stylized, consisting of a handful of boulders and artificial ficus trees for the outdoor scenes, two banners with royal insignia when inside the palace and a bare stage except for three large plywood crates for the climactic scenes on the boat. The costumes, designed by Sophie Brown ’15 and Diana Li ’13, are vaguely period and are, overall, solid but unremarkable. Eric Falcon ’15 does a strong job with often challenging lighting.

“Rosencrantz and Guildenstern” is Stoppard at his best, witty and rich in language, alternating between hilarious and poignant. PSC has mounted a smart production that more than does justice to the play.

Pros: Great acting in the lead roles

Cons: Weaker acting in the supporting roles.