Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, European Repertory Company, at the Athenaeum Theatre. Tom Stoppard secured his place on the theatrical map in 1967 with this wordy curiosity, a highly philosophical but stage-smart play crafted by a gamesome wordsmith enamored of the power of language. It’s a work that shows no signs of aging, especially in the European Repertory’s engaging, efficient production, starring Dale Goulding and Yasen Peyankov as Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, the minor characters in Hamlet who play key roles here. Goulding, doing double duty as director, gets the most out of Stoppard’s witty script, which explores how the laws of language can aid in questioning the characters’ fates—and our own destinies. When Rosencrantz declares, “The sun’s going down,” it’s clear we’re just a fatalistic vowel away from betrayal.
