Theatre / “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead” by Tom Stoppard, directed by Cate Clelland. At Canberra Repertory Society Theatre, until March 5. Reviewed by PHILLIP MACKENZIE.

TOM Stoppard’s “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead” must by now have achieved the status of classic.

First produced in its current form by the British National Theatre in 1967, it has since entertained theatre audiences around the world and was made into a film in 1990.

I first encountered it at Rep’s Theatre 3 in the 1980s. Its current showing, in the same Rep theatre, reinforces its perpetual appeal as a crowd pleaser – even though it is heavily seeded with deep philosophical issues such as existentialism and, in general, the meaning of life and death. It has a strong philosophical affinity with “Waiting for Godot” and, theatrically, “Six Characters in Search of an Author”. Perhaps it is its remnant allegiance to British musical-hall traditions that keeps us laughing while we puzzle over the philosophical issues confronting the two protagonists.

The current production under Cate Clelland’s direction, which was put on hold when covid struck in 2021, goes a long way to meeting the high standards of Stoppard’s skilful and insightful script. In a nondescript but adaptable setting appropriate to the miasma of ideas confronting them, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern (hereafter R&G) are both adrift and confined, in some sort of never-land outside the “real” world of Shakespeare’s “Hamlet”, where they had played minor roles as companions of the tortured Prince and dupes of Claudius, illegitimate successor to Hamlet’s father as king of Denmark.

Without a play-script to guide them, R&G seek to identify themselves and their role in life as, every now and then, they encounter characters and episodes from Shakespeare’s play. They eventually find themselves escorting Hamlet, at Claudius’ evil behest, to England, bearing instructions to the English king that Hamlet be “terminated”. They then discover that Hamlet has turned the tables on them and has arranged for the English King to dispose of R&G while he escapes and returns to Denmark.

Clelland has gathered together an excellent cast supported by a sound technical team. Special mention should go to Anna Senior for her costume design and execution; and to Nathan Sciberras, Neville Pye and Justin Mullins respectively for their sound and lighting designs.

The leading characters, R&G, are played, respectively, by Lainie Hart and Josh Wiseman, or vice-versa. The pair have developed a close rapport and keep the action and the thinking going at a breakneck speed to nowhere in particular.

Hart makes a valiant fist of portraying her male character but, as is often the case in “pants-roles”, perhaps forces the characterisation a little and this reviewer wonders whether she might have acknowledged in some way that she is a woman playing a man, thus reversing the traditions of Shakespeare’s time when women’s roles were taken by men. Local audiences will, however, recognise her undoubted acting talent, sense of comic timing and her very flexible facial muscles.

Josh Wiseman has had a little less exposure to Canberra audiences but his work here as Rosencrantz reveals that he is as much a class act as Hart; their combined formal training and professional experience are invaluable in this production. Wiseman’s vocal talents set the standard in clarity, although one wonders whether first-night nerves had set the volume control a little higher that necessary.

Arran McKenna contributes mightily as the Player King, full of over-the-top bombast.

Jack Shanahan gives an intriguingly morose, if slightly off-beat, characterisation of Hamlet and Cameron Thomas (Claudius), Shannon Mitchell (Gertrude), Ian Russell (Polonius) and Annabel Foulds (Ophelia) all give performances worthy of commendation, as does each of the troupe of six wandering players, each of whom brings a remarkable range and variety of skills, talents and discipline to their individual characters.

Rep has done well to open its 2022 schedule with a cracker of a show in “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead”.