Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead

De: Tom Stoppard

Narrado por: JD Cullum, Seamus Dever, Anna Lyse Erikson, Martin Jarvis, Adhir Kalyan, André Sogliuzzo, Susan Sullivan, Matthew Wolf

While attempting to discover the roots of Hamlet’s unhappiness, two courtiers go on a journey to plumb the depths of the universe’s mysteries. Tom Stoppard’s wildly inventive, Tony® Award-winning first play takes us through a tilted version of Shakespeare’s most famous tragedy while casting new light on questions of fate, mortality and the meaning of existence.

Recorded at The Invisible Studios, West Hollywood in June 2022.

Directed by Rosalind Ayres

Producing Director: Susan Albert Loewenberg

An L.A. Theatre Works full-cast recording starring:

JD Cullum as Claudius and Soldier;

Seamus Dever as Hamlet;

Anna Lyse Erikson as Opehlia and Alfred;

Martin Jarvis as The Player;

Adhir Kalyan as Rosencrantz;

André Sogliuzzo as Polonius, Player-King, Ambassador, and Horatio;

Susan Sullivan as Gertrude;

Matthew Wolf as Guildenstern.

Senior Producer: Anna Lyse Erikson

Prepared for audio by Mark Holden for The Invisible Studios, West Hollywood

Sound Design: David Wilson, Neil Wogensen and Charles Carroll

Recording Engineer, Editor and Mixer: Charles Carroll

Senior Radio Producer: Ronn Lipkin

Foley Artist: Jeff Gardner

©1967 Tom Stoppard (P)2022 L.A. Theatre Works

The Player!

The Player brings me such joy! Bless you, brilliant sir! I am amazed every time that I listen!

This didn't disappoint

I enjoyed this story a great deal. The humor is clever. The double-speak is in high-form. The characters, though mostly lifted from Hamlet, are great. The way each scene fits so perfectly with the play is a treat.

The cast performed wonderfully. The frustration, fears, musings, and comedic timing are outstanding.

Note: For full enjoyment, I advise a recent read of Hamlet.

I'll rate this one as, "The synopsis was enough to tell me this story was perfect for me and I loved it."

Existentialism and Absurdism make for Bad Plays

I really like the idea for this play. This is where my praise ends. I understand that this is absurdism in the vein of Waiting for Godot, but the characters and story are so shallow, meaningless, and unfunny, that it is hard to recommend this to anyone. Waiting for Godot at least had a few almost humorous moments. Other than the concept of the play and an ok performance of the parts, there is little to recommend here.