29 May 2025 Rhinoceros Opening Night Review

 

Greetings Marissa and Dramatis Personae,

Bravo, Bravo!  Wonderful crescendo through the play, the hysteria of the impossible gaining momentum in subtle steps.   All the characters are well cast and very distinctive.    I found the two table scene of two interleaving conversations, the marching off at intermission of the rhinoceros, Nathalie's change into  a rhinoceros, Helen's soliloquy at the end as the last human, all terrific.    The supporting vignette scenes strung out throughout the play were also great, and what a fantastic idea to have a double bass act like a basso continuo. 

It brought back strong memories of Max Frisch's Firebugs which I had seen quite a few years ago, and in a strange way the film Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf where alcohol becomes a character by itself within the play. 

Roger aka H.S. Tibbs