Je ne capitule pas!
Nov. 15th, 2018 10:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kenjari27 years ago I read Ionesco's play Rhinoceros in French class and was quite taken with it. A couple of years ago I re-read it (in French). And now I have finally seen it on stage, thanks to the Wellesley Theatre Department. for those who have not read it, Rhinoceros is an absurdist, anti-fascist play from 1959 in which the residents of a French town turn into rhinoceri. The protagonist, Berenger, is both puzzled and appalled by these transformations, and refuses to succumb.
The Wellesley production was very well-done. All the characters were costumed in black, white, and gray, with very simple sets. The rhinoceri were represented by green wireframe rhino heads mounted on hardhats, with the actors adding a touch of green to their costumes once transformed. The direction did a great job of bringing out the tension and menace alongside the humor, occasionally using some of the visual language of horror movies, such as the rhinos suddenly appearing with a flash of light from behind some flats. The sound design was excellent, too.
It's amazing how 60 years later, Rhinoceros is even more relevant. It speaks directly to our current moment in history, and all they have to do is stick to the script. Like the part where a character declares that they don't trust journalists because they lie and make things up, or when one character accuses another of precipitating a transformation by not returning a man's love.
I loved it. This play should be done more often, especially now. There are more performances throughout the weekend, and if you can get down to Wellesley College, I highly recommend it.
The Wellesley production was very well-done. All the characters were costumed in black, white, and gray, with very simple sets. The rhinoceri were represented by green wireframe rhino heads mounted on hardhats, with the actors adding a touch of green to their costumes once transformed. The direction did a great job of bringing out the tension and menace alongside the humor, occasionally using some of the visual language of horror movies, such as the rhinos suddenly appearing with a flash of light from behind some flats. The sound design was excellent, too.
It's amazing how 60 years later, Rhinoceros is even more relevant. It speaks directly to our current moment in history, and all they have to do is stick to the script. Like the part where a character declares that they don't trust journalists because they lie and make things up, or when one character accuses another of precipitating a transformation by not returning a man's love.
I loved it. This play should be done more often, especially now. There are more performances throughout the weekend, and if you can get down to Wellesley College, I highly recommend it.
