The first performance I ever did at Lipscomb University was a scene from this insane show in which I played Rosencrantz and my closest friend played Guildenstern.
We had no idea what to make of the script and sort of stumbled our way through Tom Stoppard’s philosophical play, so I was excited to see Nashville Repertory Theatre’s version in sort of a nostalgic light. Seeing the play brought to life gave so much joy to my theatrical, inquisitive, comedy-loving heart.
If you can grasp the basic plot of “Hamlet,” there’s definitely something for you in this show. “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern” follows (who else?) Hamlet’s good friends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern in their time offstage during Hamlet.
Have you ever wondered what characters do when they’re not being used in the script? Stoppard answers this question for you in this 140-minute comedic-romp that dabbles in questions about life’s beginning and end, probability and chance, madness and the sheer lack of humanity in actors.
Title characters Matt Garner and Patrick Waller have absolutely brilliant onstage chemistry. Waller’s giddy and goofy Rosencrantz offers a beautiful and hilarious foil to Garner’s inquisitive and stern Guildenstern. These two play almost more like a comedy duo than Shakespeare characters, making it so enjoyable to watch.
At the performance I attended, someone loudly dropped their cell phone on the floor and the two incorporated that in brilliantly, as if they were really searching for the source of the noise. At one point, Waller smacked directly into the set. I have no idea if this was intentional or not, but either way, he played it off incredibly and it was easily one of the highlights of the show.
In addition to the leads, Matthew Rosenbaum’s Hamlet stands out with such a kooky, over-the-top madness that I almost wish I could see him perform the role in a staging of Shakespeare’s actual play. It was so unlike any take on Hamlet I’ve ever seen before.
Jacob York delivers some amazing lines about the nature of actors with his role as the Leading Player, and Lipscomb senior Andrew Johnson especially shines, offering many hysterical facial expressions and gestures as one of his tragedian players.
I recommend this show to anyone with any sort of interest in Shakespeare, philosophy, comedy, acting or almost anything in between. “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead” runs in the Johnson Theatre at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center every Tuesday through Saturday until Oct. 31. Performances are at 6:30 p.m. on weeknights, 7:30 p.m. on weekends, with a 2:30 p.m. show on Saturdays.
Tickets are $45. A pay what you can performance will be held on Tuesday and Wednesday, Oct. 27 and 28 (just say the codeword PLAYER at the box office and pay whatever you can for tickets).