Review: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead

Hey readers!
It's time for my review of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead.
I had seen Daniel Racliffe star in The Cripple of Inishmaan back in 2013 and he was amazing in that, so I had high expectations for the show. Whilst I did think Rafcliffe was a good actor, I was not the biggest fan of this show. This show just wasn't my cup of tea. Something which doesn't help is that I had little to no knowledge of Hamlet beforehand and therefore didn't really get what was going on. Having said that, I don't think a show should rely so much on the audience having prior knowledge of other shows. Perhaps a 5 minute explanation at the beginning would have helped? It's not fair to assume the audience already know the storyline of Hamlet. I failed to become engaged with the story and sadly lost focus throughout several points of the show. I felt like there was little storyline for me to thoroughly get my teeth into. There was nothing that engrossed me. It seemed to be too long, to the point where it was just dragging on. Act two was better time wise, however act one went on for too long. Luckily, that is the end of my negatives, onto the positives! I thought the acting in the show was great, especially from Daniel Radcliffe as Rosencrantz, Joshua McGuire as Guildenstern and David Haig as The Player. I have to admit, I did prefer Daniel Radcliffe in The Cripple of Inishmaan as he had a better role in that show, but I still think he does a wonderful job as Rosencrantz. Joshua McGuire has a really large stage presence which worked extremely well for his character. David Haig's performance is phenomenal-I was seriously impressed with his portrayal of 'The Player'. The ensemble were also great. I thought that both the lighting and costume designs were done to perfection; they couldn't have been done any better! The set wasn't that large, but I found it very effective. I enjoyed act two a lot more than act one, as it was a lot more interesting.

The featured star of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead is, drum roll please... DAVID HAIG!

David was an absolute star, his performance was utter genius. I missed him greatly when he was offstage, all the good parts of the show were when he was onstage. He was one of the saving graces of the show!

Now for my final verdict on Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead. I give Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead...

I give this rating because it wasn't my 'cup of tea' and I was unable to keep focus throughout the whole show. Having said this, the show got a large applause at the curtain call, so it looks like I'm in the minority!

Think it should have got a higher rating? Agree with my rating? Think it should have got a lower rating? If so comment below.

Join me next time when I will be reviewing La Strada.

Thanks for reading!

-The Reviewer