#you can browse through mine via my ragad tag as well :)
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agentravensong · 2 months ago
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how do i enjoy rosencrantz & guildenstern are dead? is there a good way to experience it
IMO, if you're entirely new to the play, the best first impression you can have of it is the 2017 National Theater Live production, viewable here. That link also has a copy of the script, though I'd recommend waiting until after you've watched the play to read it. Because it's an absurdist work, if you're just reading the script as your first exposure to the story, it can be hard to follow or connect with. Watching a performance of it, watching two people embody Ros and Guil and seeing their chemistry, it's much more likely to hit emotionally. Even if you're just as lost as the protagonists, when you're watching and hearing it, you can latch onto the Vibe and get it on that level, you know?
If you end up enjoying the show, my next recommendation would be to check out the 1990 film version. I love that Ros and Guil just as much as NTL's, and it features my favorite version of the main player/tragedian. A lot of small things get changed because of the different medium and it's interesting to compare back to the play.
And if you're still hungry for more after that, a) congrats on getting bit by the RAGAD bug, b) sorry, c) check out this post for more tumblr peer-reviewed productions!
One extra note: Because the play is about two side characters from Shakespeare's Hamlet, knowing at least the basic outline of what happens in Hamlet will fill in some gaps and make the show easier to follow. If you don't have that knowledge already, I wouldn't say you're required to look it up before watching this show; like I implied earlier, it is a kind of special experience to watch it while being just as out of the loop as the protagonists. But for further delving into the play, the more you know about Hamlet, the more allusions and such you'll find in RAGAD that make it all the deeper. Maybe look into it in between watching the NTL and movie versions? Up to you.
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