Given current world turmoil, the Theatre program at DeSales has made a timely choice in its production of Eugene Ionesco’s RHINOCEROS, an absurdist examination of growing fascism which serves as a metaphor for age-old struggle between individualism and conformity. Billed as “blending dark comedy with existential dread,” the play requires a lot of the actors and the audience which, on opening night was, disappointingly, somewhat sparse.
The story surrounds a slacker everyman, Berenger who, along with his love interest Daisy and a cadre of friends and co-workers all grapple with the town’s invasion by a rhinoceros thereby forcing the inhabitant to either stand against conformity or succumb to the proverbial herd mentality.
Ryan Plunket captures Berenger’s sense of confused displacement and embodies the sense of alcoholic depression the character battles as the world around him changes. Mariana Marcel’s Daisy provides the production with a welcome emotional empathy. Grace Curry infuses Jean, Berenger’s best friend, who first discovers the rhinoceros, is so awed by the creature, with a firm attack on communal complacency. Owen LaRue’s Dudard, on his journey toward becoming a rhinoceros, brings the requisite intellectual debate, espousing that the rhinoceroses have both negative and yet also admirable qualities.
Other strong theatrical elements are the live foley sound cues provided by foley co-captains Andrew McGill and Madeline Ashby which enhance the environmental mood throughout. Scenic design by David Gallo and projection designs by Kenton Jones provide visual interest and lighting design by Eric Haugen helps illuminate the play’s psychological themes.
Overall, the production, while occasionally amusing was somewhat confusing. Given the absurd premise of the play, the direction and movement direction by Jessica Bedford and K. O’Roarke, respectively, generated a sense of energy without clarity – interesting movement and staging which distracted from the potency of the dramatic action. The production’s emphasis on the young actors’ process of transformation slighted the arc of the community’s increasingly menacing conformity and its moral implications. The director’s notes for the production urge the audience to “exercise your mind.” This RHINOCEROS was a bit of a heavy lift.
DeSales University Act 1
Review submitted by:
Franklin Joseph
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