Written by Eugene Lonesco, Rhinoceros is a highly unusual play. It belongs to a school of drama which was aptly named the Theatre of the Absurd. Unsurprisingly, the premise of the play makes little sense when taken literally.
Over the course of three acts, the inhabitants of a small French town slowly begin to turn into rhinoceroses, one at a time. In the end, the only human being left is Berenger, the town drunk; an amicable, likeable fellow who is in love with one of his co-workers, Daisy. She is the last to succumb to the transformation.
For those who care to look for the deeper meaning of this sort of work, they will find that they are several subtle undertones which relate to the second World War. While the symbolism is not so evident as to nearly strike the audience’s collective face with the force of its intent, those who are more accustomed to searching for it will not find it too deeply hidden.Berenger summarizes much of the fear felt by those who were being persecuted by the Nazis when he says, “those who try to hang on to their individuality always come to a bad end.” However, he stays true to himself, and refuses to conform. “I will not capitulate!” He cries.
The play was performed amazingly well, by an extremely talented little cast. One of the actors, Stephanie Henderson, assisted Mrs. Hillman and her students with Delview’s production of Grease last year. Those who went on the fieldtrip have Stephanie to thank for the experience, as she was gracious enough to extend the invitation to them.
SFU is home to many talented actors and actresses. Rhinoceros certainly is not the only play that they will perform this year, although it may be the only one that Delview students get to see. Still, if they have the opportunity to do so, dropping in on another performance would not be a waste of time. Almost certainly they would enjoy themselves immensely, and perhaps they might find an important life lesson amongst all the theatrical prose.
