Joshua McGuire, Anoushka Lucas, Alan Wiliams, Hayley Carmichael, Sophie Steer, John Biddle and Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù in Rhinoceros at the Almeida. Photo Marc Brenner.Sometimes referred to as the godfather of the theatre of the foolish, theatre of the improbable, theatre of the ridiculous, the surreal, the bizarre… or more regularly, Theatre of the Absurd, Ionesco’s playwriting style often contrasts profoundly disturbing themes with a mundane and almost slapstick comedic delivery. The result, lulls the audience into a seemingly gentle and playful narrative before exposing a devastating reality.
Here, what starts as a direct address to the audience in which they are required to mimic and follow a sequence of gestures, soon reveals itself as a commentary on the insidious nature of collective behaviour and how it can pose a danger to us all when repeatedly excused or allowed to go unchecked. This translation by Director Omar Elerian follows previous work at the Almeida (The Chairs in early 2022) and neatly incorporates digs at, and signposting of, the causes behind the current state of our newly ordered socio-political and global economic turmoil.
In many ways, if taken at face value, the physical theatre elements in which ordinary cast members gradually metamorphose into Rhinoceroses, would equate to a marginally left-field and bland piece of theatre. However, it is the creeping conformity leading to comically named, ordinary everyday citizens (we start with a random audience member assuming the guise of Monsieur Boeuf) transforming and assimilating into a collective of powerful and unrecognisable beasts, which takes on a terrifying and seemingly unstoppable momentum.
The idea that entirely reasonable and thoughtful individuals can become swept up into a marauding mob which stampedes over everything and everybody in its path, acts as a metaphor for the ugly and pervasive behaviour of egos throughout history. And yet with the passing of time, monsters (think Genghis Khan for example), are positively reframed as great leaders with a determined and unwavering, ideological vision.
At Tuesday’s opening of the Almeida’s new production, the universally strong cast who are initially clad in white coats, present as an incongruous collective of misfits. When they are not cavorting (or indeed conveying a stationary stampede) they increasingly engage in choreographed movements which demonstrate a shared thought process, acceptance of subjugation and a desire to conform to the new and compelling reality of their situation. The symbolism may just as easily be a series of Nazi salutes, (or the wearing of MAGA hats?) in Toby Sedgwick’s excellently choreographed movements for the troupe. Powerful symbolism and has rarely been this hypnotic or unnerving.
The cast:
Sopé Dìrísù - as Bérenger
Paul Hunter - Narrator/Botard
Hayley Carmichael - Mrs Boeuf
John Biddle - Dudard
Joshua McGuire - Jean
Alan Williams - Mr Papillon
Anoushka Lucas - Daisy
Sophie Steer - Firefighter
