Suspecting trouble, Claudius, the new king of Denmark, summons two courtiers to spy on his stepson, the prince, who has his own suspicion: that Claudius killed the prince's father and married his widow to gain the throne.
The courtiers--a bumbling pair named Rosencrantz and Guildenstern--are rather less than capable; and the prince, a fellow called Hamlet, eventually extracts his revenge.
Just as the film "Shakespeare in Love" presented an unconventional look at "Romeo and Juliet," playwright Tom Stoppard's 1967 "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead" presents an askew view of the goings-on in "Hamlet."
No coincidence: Stoppard was hired to punch up the "Shakespeare in Love" script.
Stoppard's play, currently running at the Arts Council Center in Thousand Oaks, could be seen as what might have happened if Shakespeare had written "Waiting for Godot."
This is an absurdist comedy, featuring a team reminiscent of Laurel and Hardy (or, in Stoppard's case, Peter Cook and Dudley Moore) forced to deal with issues they can't begin to comprehend.
It's not for everybody--a vague knowledge of Shakespeare's original "Hamlet" helps, though a synopsis is helpfully furnished. But the right crowd will find Stoppard's inside jokes and Bard-worthy wordplay awfully funny.
Rob Arbogast and Will Shupe play the titular pair, so dimwitted and virtually interchangeable that a running gag has them unable to remember which of them is whom.
Lee Altmar portrays the leader of the Players, a strolling troupe of actors Hamlet uses to expose Claudius; the other Players--played by Holly Forssell, Karl Mickelson, Pamme Lyons, Ron Rosen, Rob Schneider and Aurick Canete, double as members of the Danish court.
Ami Shupe directed the quickly paced farce with great assurance; and the stage set, which she and husband Will Shupe designed, is certainly the most ambitious ever seen at the tiny Arts Council Center.
It's outdoors; dress accordingly.
DETAILS
"Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead" continues tonight through Sunday plus Sept. 24 and 25 at the Arts Council Center, 482 Greenmeadow Drive (off Moorpark) in Thousand Oaks. Thursday-Saturday performances begin at 8 p.m.; Sunday's performance is at 7 p.m. Tickets to all shows are $10; $8, students and seniors. For reservations (recommended) or further information, call 381-2747.
*
