Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead is one of the most enduring and frequently performed plays of contemporary theater and has firmly established itself in the dramatic canon. Acclaimed as a modern masterpiece, it is the fabulously inventive tale of Hamlet as told from the worm’s-eye view of the bewildered Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, two minor characters in Shakespeare’s play. In Tom Stoppard’s best-known work, this Shakespearean Laurel and Hardy finally get a chance to take the lead role, but do so in a world where echoes of Waiting for Godot resound, where reality and illusion intermix, and where fate leads our two heroes to a tragic but inevitable end. Revised and reissued to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the play’s first performance, this definitive edition includes a new introduction and previously unpublished ancillary material.
Tom Stoppard is the author of such seminal works as Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, Jumpers, The Real Thing, Arcadia, The Invention of Love, and the trilogy The Coast of Utopia. His screen credits include Parade’s End, Shakespeare in Love, Enigma, Empire of the Sun, and Anna Karenina.
“It does come down to that moment, when as a reader or as a writer entering into a story we say — it’s not about me, it’s about you.” Alice McDermott’s Absolution shines a light on the dynamic lives of American women as they navigate the tumultuous era of the Vietnam War. McDermott joins us […]
Today the literary world is honoring the life, and death, of William Shakespeare. While his exact birthday isn’t really known, we observe it on April 23, the date he died at age 52. And while there are scores of classics inspired by William Shakespeare’s writing, like Moby Dick, by Herman Melville; Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley; Shakespeare […]
In musical theater parlance, “book” refers to the non-sung portions of the script, or the dialogue and stage directions. But there are more books in musical theater: the actual books that inspired some of the biggest musicals of all time (some of which eclipsed the popularity and prominence of the source material!).
Summer isn’t always breezy beach days and fun in the sun! Summer thunderstorms can put quite the damper on a few hours—or even days. Once you’ve consulted your local weather advisory site, postponed any outdoor activity, and battened down your hatches, it’s time to do the thing you’ve been looking forward to all along: read! A […]