Eugene Ionesco’s 1959 play, Rhinoceros, is now enjoying an excellent revival at the Yale Repertory Theatre. The absurdist, avant-garde classic about fascism and conformity has not aged a day since it shook up theatre audiences decades ago. Given the current political atmosphere, Rhinoceros is, sadly, still all too timely.
Set in a small French town, we are introduced to Bérenger (a brilliant Reg Rogers), an indifferent alcoholic who soon realizes that all the people around him are turning into rhinoceroses. He, seemingly alone, resists the herd mentality as his friends and colleagues willingly conform, while Ionesco offers a profound and stinging critique of fascism. I turned to my friend at one point during the show and commented, “Switch the rhino heads to MAGA hats and you’d have the same play!” That’s why Rhinoceros remains a play for the ages, and in the hands of the talented folks at Yale, this masterpiece has never looked better.
Long a familiar face on Connecticut stages, Reg Rogers has delivered one powerful performance after another (He was an award winner in Yale’s 2017 “Enemy of the People”). In Rhinoceros he completely inhabits the role of Bérenger, moving from apathetic citizen to revolutionary with carefully modulated energy and purpose. He is mesmerizing. As his hypercritical friend, Gene, Philip Tartula is both hilarious and genuinely terrifying as he, in a bravura sequence, slowly changes in front of his friend. The entire company of actors, under the assured direction of Liz Diamond, could not be better at Yale. Diamond also makes something magical with the various scene changes, choreographed by Emily Coates, to theatrical perfection and moving the 90 minute play along seamlessly.
It has become commonplace now to just expect technical expertise at Yale, and their production of Rhinoceros is no exception in that regard. Scenic designer Jennifer Yuqing Cao, lighting designer Donald Holder and original music and sound designer Xi (Zoey) Lin, achieve something quite special here. You will swear you witnessed an actual herd of rhinos storming the Yale stage in a chaotic explosion of sight and sound. This is theatre magic at its most effective and powerful. Stop reading and order your tickets now!
Rhinoceros continues at Yale Repertory Theatre, 1120 Chapel Street, New Haven, Connecticut through March 28. For further information or ticket reservations call the theatre box office at: 203.432.1234 or visit: www.yalerep.org.
Tom Holehan is one of the founders of the Connecticut Critics Circle, a frequent contributor to WPKN Radio’s “State of the Arts” program and the Stratford Crier and former Artistic Director of Stratford’s Square One Theatre Company. He welcomes comments at: tholehan@yahoo.com. His reviews and other theatre information can be found on the Connecticut Critics Circle website: www.ctcritics.org
