Hamlet, But He's, Like, Over There

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead by Tom Stoppard

Pages: 126 Genre: play (retelling)

Rating: 3 Star

I finally read it! Twenty-four (plus some) Hamlet retellings, and it wasn't until just now that I've finally read the only one everyone else has heard of.

Well, to be fair, I did listen to it instead of reading it, but I think that was the right call. If anyone else is interested, the audiobook on Spotify by L.A. Theatre Works is quite good.

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are interesting characters to expand on, but I'm not sure that's what's happening here. Ros and Guild — my good friends with whom I am on a nickname basis — are used as a means to explore the desired themes. Their actual roles and personalities in Hamlet are not really relevant at all outside of the fact that they are a blank slate. So, in that sense, I guess they are explored: no one knows what's happening with Ros and Guild, including Ros and Guild. It is fun, as an extension of Hamlet.

I actually did enjoy the meta concept a lot, and it works well with Hamlet, the play. If anyone is going to have another play happening on the sidelines of his actual plot, it's going to be Hamlet. The literal wordplay and the ways Ros and Guild try to ground themselves (in gambling, philosophy, and games) was funny and well done. Very in the spirit of things and made me laugh. I imagine that two actors with good chemistry and comedic timing could be really entertaining to watch perform this play.

The looming threat of death and the frustration of how death is portrayed in a play versus real life was also very interesting. It's very Hamlet. To be or not to be, you know? I get it. Maybe one day I'll read the play instead of listening to it and get a better view of what RAGAD has to offer to the conversation, but my feelings right now are that it's good but not unique. If you want to see a good exploration of these themes (death, performance, fate) with funny wordplay and quick-witted characters, there's another play I'd really recommend to you. Hamlet.

I don't mean to sound like a hater: I did enjoy this play. It's good, and I see why it's as popular as it is. I just didn't feel like I got anything new out of it. It depends on what you're looking for, I suppose.