Harry Towb
Horatio; Courtier; Pirate Malcolm James
Fortinbras; Courtier; Pirate Francis Maguire
Laertes; Pirate Charles Millham
Alfred Callum Dixon
Court, Attendants, Pirates
Colin Vaughan, Gareth Vaughan, Colin Haigh, Marianne Morley, and Jacqui O Hanlon
Directed by Matthew Francis
Designed by Lez Brotherston
Following a limited run at the Chichester Festival Theatre, a revival production of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead was given in June 16, 2011 at the Theatre Royal Haymarket, London, by the Chichester Festival Theatre, the Theatre Royal Haymarket and Triumph Entertainment Limited.
The cast was as follows:
Rosencrantz Samuel Barnett
Guildenstern Jamie Parker
The Player Chris Andrew Mellon
Horatio Michael Benz
Gertrude Fiona Gillies
Fortinbras Tom Golding
Alfred Charles Hamblett
Hamlet Jack Hawkins
Polonius; Ambassador Andrew Jarvis
Ophelia Katherine Press
Claudius James Simmons
Other Cast
Trevor Allan Davies, Tomm Coles, Jody Elin Machin, Zac Fox, Elisabeth Hopper, Greg Last, James Northcote and Stephen Pallister
Directed by Trevor Nunn
Designed by Simon Higlett
A 50th anniversary celebratory production was given on February 25, 2017 at the Old Vic Theatre, London.
The cast was as follows:
Rosencrantz Daniel Radcliffe
Guildenstern Joshua McGuire
The Player David Haig
Player Louisa Beadel
Polonius William Chubb
Player Matthew Durkan
Hamlet Luke Mullins
Gertrude Marianne Oldham
Ophelia Helena Wilson
Directed by David Leveaux
Designed by Anna Fleischle
ACT ONE
Two Elizabethans passing the time in a place without any visible character.
They are well dressed—hats, cloaks, sticks and all.
Each of them has a large leather money bag.
GUILDENSTERN’s bag is nearly empty.
ROSENCRANTZ’s bag is nearly full.
The reason being: they are betting on the toss of a coin, in the following manner: Guildenstern (hereafter “GUIL”) takes a coin out of his bag, spins it, letting it fall. Rosencrantz (hereafter “ROS”) studies it, announces it as “heads” (as it happens) and puts it into his own bag. Then they repeat the process. They have apparently been doing this for some time.
The run of “heads’’ is impossible, yet Ros betrays no surprise at all—he feels none. However, he is nice enough to feel a little embarrassed at taking so much money off his friend. Let that be his character note.
Guil is well alive to the oddity of it. He is not worried about the money, but he is worried by the implications; aware but not going to panic about it—his character note.
Guil sits. Ros stands (he does the moving, retrieving coins).
Guil spins. Ros studies coin.
ROS Heads.
He picks it up and puts it in his bag. The process is repeated.
Heads.
Again.
Heads.
Again.
Heads.
Again.
Heads.
GUIL (flipping a coin) There is an art to the building up of suspense.
ROS Heads.
GUIL (flipping another) Though it can be done by luck alone.
ROS Heads.
GUIL If that’s the word I’m after.
ROS (raises his head at Guil) Seventy-six—love.
Guil gets up but has nowhere to go. He spins another coin over his shoulder without looking at it, his attention being directed at his environment or lack of it.
Heads.
GUIL A weaker man might be moved to re-examine his faith, if in nothing else at least in the law of probability. (He slips a coin over his shoulder as he goes to look upstage.)
ROS Heads.
Guil, examining the confines of the stage, flips over two more coins as he does so, one by one of course. Ros announces each of them as “heads.”
GUIL (musing) The law of probability, it has been oddly asserted, is something to do with the proposition that if six monkeys (he has surprised himself) . . . if six monkeys were . . .
ROS Game?
GUIL Were they?
ROS Are you?
GUIL (understanding) Game. (Flips a coin.) The law of averages, if I have got this right, means that if six monkeys were thrown up in the air for long enough they would land on their tails about as often as they would land on their—
ROS Heads. (He picks up the coin.)
GUIL Which even at first glance does not strike one as a particularly rewarding speculation, in either sense, even without the monkeys. I mean you wouldn’t bet on it. I mean I would, but you wouldn’t . . . (As he flips a coin.)
ROS Heads.
GUIL Would you? (Flips a coin.)
ROS Heads.
Repeat.
