Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead

by Tom Stoppard
directed by Matt Beresford

The curtain opens on two Elizabethans spinning coins. We're not sure who they are, where they are or even when they are....but then again, neither are they!

Stoppard's opening scene sets the tone of this extraordinary play. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead takes place in the 'wings' of Hamlet and finds comedy, poignancy, poetry (and a little philosophy!) in the situation of the doomed attendant lords.

It certainly offers something for everyone. Those who know Hamlet will enjoy seeing it from a different angle, as Ros and Guil grapple with their instructions and try to keep pace with events. Fans of Beckett will appreciate the parallels with Godot, whilst amateur philosophers will love Ros and Guil's contemplation of life's inconsistencies and curiosities.

For those who enjoy reflecting on where reality stops and illusion begins, or questioning the boundary between actor and audience, Stoppard certainly doesn't disappoint. Most of all, if you enjoy circular arguments, cross-talk, absurdity, misunderstandings, bickering, comedy, farce and a bit of bawdiness, you'll love the first play of the RSS 2010 season.

I have an excellent RSS stalwart (Ben Best) and a terrific new talent (Patrick Toms) in the title roles. Both have risen brilliantly to the challenge of these enormous and complex parts. Derek Stringer supports as a fantastic Player - sardonic, acerbic and indomitable. They are joined by a group of fine Shakespearean actors and a group of comic travelling Tragedians to complete the ensemble. We hope you can join us!

Saturday 30th January to Saturday 6th February 2010
Performances at 7.45p.m. except for Sunday 31st January 4p.m.
There is also a matinee at 3p.m. on Saturday 6th February. No performance Wednesday 3rd February.

Other past productions

1. Taking Sides - Ronald Harwood
2. Aladdin - John Crocker - Music & Lyrics by Eric Gilder
3. Little Gem - Elaine Murphy
4. Vita & Virginia - Eileen Atkins
   adapted from correspondence between Virginia Woolf and Vita Sackville-West
5. Twelfth Night - William Shakespeare
6. Tom Paine - Paul Foster
7. Youth Theatre Double Bill - Will Averill: Cinderella: Or How Pipsqueak the Mouse Became a Stallion. 'Crinkley Bottom............' was devised in-house
8. Gormenghast - John Constable adapted from the novel by Mervyn Peake
9. This Story of Yours - John Hopkins
10. King John - William Shakespeare
11. Pygmalion - Bernard Shaw
12. Fallen Angels - Noel Coward
13. A Month in the Country - Ivan Turgenev - adapted into English by Emlyn Williams
14. Glengarry Glen Ross - David Mamet
15. A Midsummer Night’s Dream - William Shakespeare
16. A Vampire Story - Moira Buffini
17. Alice in Wonderland and Alice Through the Looking Glass - Lewis Carroll - dramatised by Adrian Mitchell
18. The Odd Couple (female version) - Neil Simon
19. The Beauty Queen of Leenane - Martin McDonagh
20. Antony and Cleopatra - William Shakespeare
21. Gaslight - Patrick Hamilton
22. Cymbeline - William Shakespeare
23. Iron - Rona Munro
24. Confusions - Alan Ayckbourn
25. Much Ado About Nothing - William Shakespeare
26. I Hate Shakespeare - Steph DeFerie
27. Moonlight and Magnolias - Ron Hutchinson
28. Lulu - Frank Wedekind, in a version by Peter Barnes
29. Macbeth - William Shakespeare
30. Whipping It Up - Steve Thompson
31. Harvey - Mary Chase
32. Happy Days - Samuel Beckett
33. Days of Wine and Roses - Owen McCafferty
34. Henry V - William Shakespeare
35. Arabian Nights - adapted by Dominic Cooke
36. Vincent in Brixton - Nicholas Wright
37. The Real Thing - Tom Stoppard
38. Titus Andronicus - William Shakespeare
39. An Inspector Calls - J. B. Priestley

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