by Tom Stoppard
The Flight Theatre
(The Complex, 6476 Santa Monica Boulevard, Hollywood 90038)
A production of The Porters of Hellsgate
Date of reviewed performance: January 15, 2010
Cast
Hamlet - Charles Pasternak
Rosencrantz - Thomas Bigley
Guildenstern - Gus Krieger
Claudius - Jack Leahy
Gertrude - Maja Miletich
Polonius - Jamey Hecht
Ophelia - Taylor Fisher
Horatio - Eddie Castuera
English Ambassador, Lucianus - Nicholas Neidorf
Fortinbras, Alfred - Kevin Kelley
Hecuba - Christina McKinnon
Player Queen - Angele Dayer
Player King - Mark Nager
1st Player - Micah Cover
“Every exit is an entrance somewhere else” according to Tom Stoppard and there may never be a more meta line ever written. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, which can best be described as "Hamlet through-the-looking-glass," is currently being produced concurrently with Hamlet by The Porters of Hellsgate.
The play answers the question of where characters go once they are out of the audience's view. The title characters spend a great deal of the play waiting in the proverbial wings, as it were, and they pass the time by posing existential questions at speeds that will make your head spin. The dialogue is as weighty as it is funny, leaving the audience simultaneously confused, informed and entertained.
We have the basic Hamlet story: The prince is morose due to his conniving uncle who has killed his father and bedded his mother - but this time it is told from the point of view of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, school friends of Hamlet's who are minor characters in Shakespeare's version of events. Shakespeare’s version does make cameo appearances here and there, which helps to keep the momentum of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern's plight moving forward.
Director Charles Pasternak's staging crams entrances and exits all over the theater. The scenic design is identical to The Porters production of Hamlet, so it is a treat to watch the actors make completely different uses out of the same space in sister-scenes. Of course it will help a great deal to have just watched their production of Hamlet. The company uses the same actors to play the same roles in both productions (with the exception of the role of Gertrude). Charles Pasternak, Jack Leahy and Maja Miletich (as Hamlet, Claudius and Gertrude, respectively) really play up their skewed characterizations in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern's point of view, which is something you may not fully appreciate if you haven't seen them play these same characters faithfully in Shakespeare's version.
As Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, Thomas Bigley and Gus Krieger have near-perfect rhythm. Bigley turns in a great performance as a nervous and twitchy Rosencrantz. Krieger's charasmatic Guildenstern seems to have picked up some affectations from the Johnny Depp School of Acting, but he's thoroughly entertaining and is certainly an actor to keep an eye out for in the future.
There were a few lighting hiccups at the performance I attended. They primarily occurred at the end of scenes and, unfortunately, also at the very end of the show which took away from the power in the final scene. Hopefully, it is a mere bug in the system that they will be able to work out before the next show.
Hamlet and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead will be alternating days (Hamlet on Thursdays and Saturdays, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern on Fridays and Sundays) through Saturday, February 13. Tickets are $20 general admission ($15 for students/seniors/AEA). Patrons purchasing tickets to both shows at once will recieve a discount. For reservations, call 951-262-3030 or contact them at portersofhellsgate@gmail.com.
Directed by Charles Pasternak
Costume Design by Jessica Pasternak
Lighting Design by Daniel Keck
Scenic Design by Thomas Bigley
Stage Management by Brian Schrock
House Management by Jessica Pasternak
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead:
