I just saw the CofC production of ‘Rosencrants and Guildenstern are dead’ at the Simons Center for the arts.  The play was put on in the Emmet Robinson Theatre from August 15th-18th and August 29th- September 3rd. It was the first Tom Stoppard play that I have seen. At the end of the production I walked away with mixed feelings. There were enjoyable moments of comedy, and also moments of profound introspection.  The mane characters (Rosencrats and Guildenstern) seemed to provide an example of two everyday people, trying to come to terms with the insignificant nature of their own lives.

In my opinion peace was far to long particularly in the moments of dialog between the mane characters, which seemed to drag on and on. The play for me seemed far to creative to have a strong entertainment value. Its surrealist plot and great length made it somewhat dry. Seeing as this was a school production, this lack of entertainment value was somewhat excusable but if it were to be preformed outside of a school setting I feel that it might not be well received.  Overall I would not recommend this performance to a purely entertainment seeking audience, but for viewers seeking an educational production I might recommend it.