Rhinoceros
at Phoenixville Area HS

Reviewed on December 11, 2021

Aiden Kaliner
Harriton High School
Submitted for publication to WordPress Site and Cappies Page

Phoenixville Area High School displayed a world where rhinoceroses roam the streets of … Paris, France? The PAHS Theatre Guild's outlandish production of Rhinoceros serves as a warning of fascist ideals in modern-day times.

Eugene Ionesco's Rhinoceros, written in 1959, is categorized as "Theatre of the Absurd," exhibiting that nothing in the playwright's world makes any sense. In Rhinoceros, one by one, characters begin to metamorphosize into rhinoceroses, allegorically representing the uprising of facism, nazism, and communism, in France during and after World War II. As the play progresses, less and less characters resist the transformation until there is one left--the last-standing human.

The production was brought to life by the roaring ensemble. From hilarity to tragedy, each actor imbued meaning and characterization to minute, featured roles. Notably, the firemen ensemble added a snarky, memorable moment to the play when the office workers escaped the stair-less building. During the scene changes, though a bit lengthy, the ensemble of rhinoceroses meandered through aisles and interacted with audience members, making the play an immersive and enjoyable experience.

Braydn Strzelecki as Berenger exceptionally carried the weight of absurdity on his shoulders. Given the demanding nature of the role, Strzelecki's stamina and thorough preparation was evident. Although some delivery was repetitive, his improvisational moments were hilarious. His heightened emotions effectively contrasted the rather mellow rhinoceros ensemble, allowing the audience to grasp the message of the play. Alongside Strzelecki, Claire Meachen (Daisy) skillfully added a genuine air to her role. Her physicality and dedication, even while not the main focus of the scene, drew in the audience. Most importantly, Meachen's strong character development, as Daisy capitulates to the rhinos, commanded the last scene.

Among the supporting cast, John Cox as Jean had stand-out moments. As the first to transform into a rhinoceros, Cox realistically portrayed the descent into madness and established the night-marish atmosphere of the second act. Additionally, Piper Cannon (Botard) commanded the stage with their portrayal of Berenger's cynical co-worker. Their calm demeanor and enunciation were consequential to understanding the absurd, fast-paced plot.

Notably, the lighting design by Zachary Rosenfeld, thoughtfully added to the absurdity. Through the use of red and green lights, the mood effectively shifted from normalcy to lunacy. Considering the complicated scene changes, the PAHS Stage Crew completely transformed the enormous set each time.

Phoenixville Area High School's Rhinoceros literally tackled humanity's willingness and eagerness to conform to the antithesis of moral ideals, ignorance, and the audience's perceptions of the truth through Ionesco's chilling yet insightful allegory.

Pauline Hartman
Archmere Academy
Submitted for publication to WordPress Site and Cappies Page

When a society begins to mindlessly conform to radical ideologies, what happens? The people turn into rhinoceros of course!

When one individual refuses to submit to these ideologies, thinking with his own mind and expressing his own beliefs, what happens? The rhinoceroses consider him an enemy and look like "they want to lower their head and charge" as playwright Ionesco says! Rhinoceros, the difficult and mature play performed brilliantly by Phoenixville Area High School, will have you wondering if the mindless conformity to the ideologies of the 1940s is still present today.

Written in 1959 by absurdist playwright Eugene Ionesco, Rhinoceros is rooted in Ionesco's personal experience, as he watched the world he knew be taken over by fascism, communism, and socialism. An ever-present theme in Rhinoceros, the absurdism in theatre movement is less concerned with the plot of a show but rather highlights the issues of the human condition. Put simply, the play follows the privileged man Berenger and as each of his companions turn into rhinoceroses, he is faced with the true challenge of self-expression versus the mindless conformity upon him.

With such a difficult play at hand, the leads handled the demanding acting well. Braydn Strzelecki as Berenger handled the most difficult role with ease. His comedic timing was excellent, his emotional transitions were seamless, and his improvisation skills in act two were spectacular. His love interest, Daisy, played by Claire Meachen, showcased similar skills. Meachen brought to life the complex relationship the two had with her commanding presence and her excellent emotional range.

The ensemble members were fantastic storytellers and committed to their individual roles. Specifically, John Cox as Jean and Matthew Wosczyna as Dudard had commanding stage presence in their individual scenes with Berenger. Similarly, Piper Cannon as Botard took on the role with power, bringing out the powerful thoughts the character represented to the audience. Body language was extremely important with the actors wearing masks, however, conversation still ran fluently and the issues were resolved by act two.

The set paintings were alluring, a compliment to student Matt Nice, as they encapsulated the beautiful French society before being destroyed by conformity to the ideologies. Scene changes were difficult, as the scenes were completely different locations and the sets were so complicated. While a little timely in length, Assistant Stage Manager Mikayla DePompeo carried out the changes well.

Not only does Rhinoceros bring thought-evoking ideas to the table, but also the impressive acting and comedic skills the actors of Phoenixville Area High School brought to life, the play generates the willpower to think for oneself and think more carefully about what you consider truth.

Clara Steege
Conestoga High School
Submitted for publication to Cappies Page

Is there a large, horned animal in the seat next to you at the play? Then you must be attending Phoenixville Area High School's production of Rhinoceros. Phoenixville's dedicated cast and full utilization of their production materials allowed them to turn out an excellent show.

Rhinoceros is an absurdist play, written by Eugene Ionesco after his experiences in the Second World War. Its plot, which centers around a man named Berenger as he watches the fellow occupants of his town gradually turn into rhinoceroses, is meant to mirror the way that a population is taken over by extremist ideology.

Phoenixville tackled this challenging subject quite effectively. Both the performers and crew gave the performance their all, resulting in an extremely engaging production.

From the instant that the curtain opened, the cast's energy and dedication to their characters was apparent. Whether they were reacting dramatically to the happenings onstage, breaking the fourth wall in tandem, or menacingly strolling through the audience as rhinoceroses, they maintained a high level of performance. As Berenger, Braydn Strzelecki gave a wonderful performance. His comedic timing, portrayal of emotion, and relaxed stage presence were all striking. Claire Meachen, playing Daisy, commanded the stage with a very expressive voice and just the right amount of attitude.

John Cox, as Berenger's friend Jean, had an impressive physicality; he utilized the stage well, whether through animated arguing, doing a commendable number of pushups, or aggressively destroying the items in his apartment. Parker Storti showed off excellent delivery of lines playing the Logician, making his way through complex logical arguments without a hiccup. The ensemble also stood out through their effective use of props and wonderful background acting. Particularly noticeable was Victoria Popp as the Grocer's Wife – in a town scene, her thoughtful characterization shone as she fixed up her storefront and argued with the neighboring shopkeeper.

Lighting added interest by using a variety of colors to draw attention to different areas of the stage. Sound executed a wide variety of sound effects – a phone ringing, the clinks of saucers, and, of course, rhinoceros noises – very well. Along with polished set pieces and props, the technical elements truly elevated the show to another level.

Every aspect of Phoenixville's Rhinoceros was impressive. Both for its timely message and excellent execution, this is a production that deserves to be seen!

Gabriel Planas-Borgstrom
Bordentown Regional High School
Submitted for publication to Cappies Page

Effortless improvisation, perfect comedic timing, a cast of immersive actors, and… a pachyderm? Phoenixville Area High School's production of Eugene Ionesco's Rhinoceros was a lively and hilarious show that perfectly captured the dangers of fascism in 1940's Paris.

Rhinoceros tells the story of Berenger, a French drunkard whose life is upturned by the sudden appearance of socialist ideologies (represented as rhinoceroses) causing problems in the streets of Paris. His problems only worsen as slowly but steadily, his friends, coworkers, and other citizens begin to turn into rhinos, joining the overbearing herd. Berenger struggles with his identity and morals as everyone around him turns and he is forced to decide whether or not to simply succumb to the social pressure and turn into one of the monsters himself.

Phoenixville attacked the challenge of absurdist theater with tons of strong acting, wit, and comedy that made an incredibly difficult show seem like a walk in the park. Every actor brought life and character to their roles, and the natural give and take between the various cast members made this play a pleasure to watch.

As the eccentric and wayward Berenger, Braydn Strzelecki showed an incredible stage presence and humor that perfectly complemented his role. His improvisations and sharp one-liners elevated his role, keeping the audience enthralled even through the longest scenes in the show. Claire Meachen also shined in her role as Daisy, with an expressiveness and body language that drew laughter from the audience.

As Jean, John Cox demonstrated a range of acting rarely seen in high school theater as he made the transition from Berenger's temperamental friend and mentor to the powerful and feral rhinoceros. His commitment to such an unorthodox role stood out and made the overall effect of the show tangible to the audience. Piper Cannon also made an impact in their role as Botard, the office skeptic turned rhinoceros herself. Piper's delivery and dramatics throughout their comedic scenes was subtle but brought a whole new dimension to the character dynamics of the show. Parker Storti brought life to the aloof and nonsensical Logician with timing and mannerisms that really highlighted the absurdist humor of the show.

The sets were basic but brought just the right amount of life to the scenery of the show. Although occasionally spotty, the sound was managed really well for the number of mics and amount of characters speaking at a time. The scene changes were very time-consuming, but the sound effects kept the audience engaged throughout.

Rhinoceros is a show with many layers and challenges, and Phoenixville Area High School managed to successfully navigate them all to create a fun and unique theater experience.