Review: ROSENCRANTZ AND GUILDENSTERN ARE DEAD at Little Theatre Of Mechanicsburg

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead recently premiered on the Little Theatre of Mechanicsburg stage.  The premise of the play is difficult to describe, but to those unfamiliar, I might compare it to a mash up of Waiting for Godot and Monty Python.

Catherine Tyson-Osif and Samuel Eisnehuth play the title characters.  Tyson-Osif has a very amiable personality, while Eisenhuth is often gruffer and more exasperated.  Think of them as an absurd version of Laurel and Hardy.  They squabble, they bicker, they make comment on such ridiculous concepts as toenail growth, question duels, and flipping monkeys on their heads.

Their conversations are quite bizarre and often quite funny.  I was extremely impressed with their mastery of such extensive and off the wall dialogue. This show is close to three hours, and the duo was on stage the entire time.  This is a remarkable reflection of both their talent and dedication.

Linda Fink plays The Player, sort of a ring master/theater director.  She and the rest of the acting troupe (AJ Rhoads,  David Blenderman, Stephanie Trdenic, Andy Isaacs, Annie Hart, Maxfield Roach, and Jackie Dougherty) interact with R & G, and perform scenes from Hamlet along the way.  The troupe has great energy, and each actor was thoughtful about the idiosyncrasies of their particular character.

Director, Andrea Stephenson utilizes an almost bare stage with minimal costumes and props.  These elements are not important to this show.  Instead, it gives the audience a better opportunity to focus on what matters-the dialogue.  As the show progresses, the topics become more in-depth and philosophical.  The characters discuss the randomness of life, the role of identity, and the inevitability of death.  These are potentially heavy topics but are handled gracefully with a spoonful or two of humor along the way.

This show is probably not for everyone.  It is a long show, and probably way outside the comfort zone or attention span of someone expecting a night of Neil Simon.  That being said, the show challenges and engages with its audience.  It requires us to think, to question, and delve into topics bigger than ourselves.  When it’s over, a good show should leave the audience thinking about more than “where did I park my car?”.  Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead definitely fits this bill.

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