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What did the critics think of Rhinoceros at A.R.T. starring Paul Giamatti, Tatiana Maslany John Turturro and more? In Rhinoceros, everything seems normal one Sunday morning…until it’s not. One by one, friends and colleagues transform into rhinoceroses, and Bérenger (Turturro) is forced to decide: will he follow the crowd or stand his ground? As resonant as when it premiered in the wake of the Second World War, Rhinoceros reminds us of the importance of holding on to our humanity amidst mounting pressures to conform.
The Rhinoceros cast includes Harriett D. Foy (Housewife), Paul Giamatti (Jean), Peter Francis James (Grocer / Papillon), Tatiana Maslany (Daisy), Kristine Nielsen (Grocer’s Wife / Mrs. Boeuf), Alex Ross (Dudard), Clay Singer (Botard / Waiter), and John Turturro (Berenger). Britt Faulkner, Johnny Kuntz, David Mason, Amelia Sipkin, and Scott Stangland are understudies.
Rhinoceros features scenic design by Obie Award winner Riccardo Hernández; costume design by Drama Desk Award winner Anita Yavich; lighting design by Tony Award winner Jen Schriever; sound design by Tony Award winner Fitz Patton; special effects design by Markus Maurette; hair and wig design by Tom Watson; and make-up design by Kyle Krueger. Drama Desk Award winner Thomas Schall is the fight director; and Jill Johnson is the movement advisor. Ryan Gohsman is the Production Stage Manager. Casting is by ARC /Duncan Stewart, CSA & Jarrett Reiche, CSA. Karina Cowperthwaite is the associate director, Omid Akbari and Jessie Baldinger are the associate scenic designers, Andrew Wehling is the associate Costume Designer, Aaron Tacy is the associate lighting designer, and Bailey Trierweiler is the associate sound designer.
Let’s see what the critics have to say!
Samantha Genzer, Boston.com: “Rhinoceros” is intentionally dialogue-heavy, and its humor and allegory depend on long conversations. But even strong dialogue can begin to drag when there is little visual or technical movement around it. More frequent changes in lighting, sound, or staging could have given those longer exchanges more momentum and kept the audience engaged throughout. Fortunately, the actors were usually able to bring the energy back with a sharp joke, quick exchange, or burst of physical comedy.
Ty Burr, Boston Globe: The A.R.T. has tinkered with the long-standard English translation by Derek Prouse, cutting some minor characters and streamlining scenes, but they’ve thankfully resisted the temptation to overplay any correlations to current movements or people — no orange wigs or red hats on the rhinos — in part because they don’t have to. Not when there are lines in “Rhinoceros” that could come straight from an angry Facebook screed: “I never believe journalists. I don’t need them to tell me what to think” or “All you get at universities are effete intellectuals with no practical knowledge of life” (both spoken by Clay Singer as another of Berenger’s co-workers, a toothy Marxist with fiery opinions and no spine).
Bob Verini, NY Stage Review: Sometimes the fortunate combination of the right director, the right cast, the right design team, and a historical moment combine to re-inject startling life into a work formerly dismissed as old-hat. Such is the case with Rhinoceros at American Repertory Theater. Superbly directed by Diane Paulus, with a stellar octet of players headed by John Turturro and Paul Giamatti, Eugène Ionesco’s metaphor explaining Hitler’s rise and Stalin’s triumph – seemingly rational people willfully transmogrifying into mindless beasts – hits home with new force, at a time when we’re beset by opportunistic greedheads and lickspittle toadies daily encroaching upon what it means to be truly human.
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