You’ve probably heard of the dangers of a bull in a china shop and the chaos it can cause but have you ever witnessed what damage a rhinoceros in a cafe can deliver. Just ask Reg Rogers’s Berenger as he meets for a drink with his good friend Phillip Taratula’s Gene. The pair tease and ridicule each other as only old friends can, with Gene accusing Berenger of having a hangover before noon. Their squabbling is rudely interrupted by the appearance of a dangerous rhinoceros running pell mell through the cafe, scaring the waiters and patrons who quickly run for cover. Is it a dream, an animal from the circus or the zoo who escaped or an inhabitant from a nearby swamp? Gene and Berenger are perplexed and flabbergasted. How can this happen in their great town on a Sunday morning of all times?
Enter the Theater of the Absurd created by Eugene Ionesco when he wrote his tragicomic “Rhinoceros” in 1959,about a small French town, where this wild animal crushes everything in its path. Yale Repertory Theatre at 1120 Chapel Street in New Haven will entertain you until Saturday, March 28 in this intriguing play directed by Liz Diamond, with text translated by Derek Prouse, adapted by Frank Galati and choreography by Emily Coates, According to Liz Diamond who has been at the theater for thirty four years and directed twenty productions, this play is “insanely funny and terrifying.”
To Berenger’s dismay, soon friends and neighbors and even his co-workers are quickly sprouting hides and horns. He must determine where his own fate lies: should he join the rampage or stand up, indepentently, to fight the invaders? In Ionesco’s mind, he must resist the urge to follow the crowd. In this cautionary tale, Berenger becomes disoriented and the comedy turns stark and dark. Even his good friend Eugene gets caught in the transformation. The dangers of power loom large. How easily the townspeople accept these new political ideologies, like Nazism and Communism and all except Berenger, who remains human in the face of great odds. How can one man, one who drinks too much and secretly loves his co-worker Elizabeth Stahlmann’s Daisy, warn the villagers and safely survive?
For tickets ($15-65), call the Yale Rep at 203-432-1234 or online at yalerep.org. Performances are Tuesday at 8 p.m., Wednesday at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., Thursday at 8 p.m., Friday at 8 p.m., and Saturday at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.
Come make the acquaintance of this endangered species, native to Asia and Africa, whose name means horn on the nose. They are valued on the black market for their horns in China and Vietnam for use in traditional Chinese medicine. One of the largest living land animals, they average 1700 pounds and are mainly vegetarians. Witness how Berenger courageously stares down his giant foe and refuses to give up being human.
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