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1960

Rhinoceros

Written by Eugene Ionesco

Play Details

Context

Artistic Director 
George Devine

Translated By
Derek Prouse

Original Language
French

Dates Performed

Thursday 28th April 1960
Main House (Downstairs)

Wednesday 8th June 1960 
The Strand

Play Details

Synopsis

A provincial French town

Berenger, an indifferent worker, barely notices when rhinoceroses start showing up in town. But as friends and colleagues begin transforming into these beasts, he grapples with how to resist the same fate.

The play delves into the tension between social conformity and individualism, exposing the irrationality of the middle class and their tendencies towards fascism.

Director(s)

Orson Welles

Other productions

Photo credit

Cover image credited to John Timbers

Cast & Creative

Cast

Monica Evans

Cast

Laurence Olivier

Cast

Duncan Macrae

Cast

Henry Woolf

Cast

Margery Caldicott

Cast

Hazel Hughes

Cast

Geoffrey Lumsden

Cast

Michael Bates

Cast

Will Stampe

Cast

Joan Plowright

Cast

Alan Webb

Cast

Miles Malleson

Cast

Peter Sallis

Cast

Gladys Henson

Cast

Philip Anthony

Cast

Laurence Olivier

Cast

Duncan Macrae

Cast

Henry Woolf

Cast

Margery Caldicott

Cast

Hazel Hughes

Cast

Geoffrey Lumsden

Cast

Michael Bates

Cast

Will Stampe

Cast

Joan Plowright

Cast

Alan Webb

Cast

Miles Malleson

Cast

Peter Sallis

Cast

Gladys Henson

Cast

Philip Anthony

Translator

Derek Prouse

Designer

Orson Welles

Costume

Stuart Stallard

What our readers say

 

What’s it like reading the play now? How has it aged? 

The play remains striking even today. It masterfully captures the subtle shifts in social conformity, showing how individuals can adopt ideologies without even realising. The circular, nonsensical debates are both humorous and chilling. By Act Three, Berenger’s self-doubt amidst a majority of Rhinoceroses is a poignant commentary on the isolating effects of being an outlier in society. It demonstrates how one can start doubting oneself, not necessarily because they align with the prevailing views, but because they feel out of place for not doing so. However, there’s a brief racial slur that now feels jarring and unnecessarily alienating, indicating some aspects of the play haven’t aged well.

 

What does it tell us about the past and the present? 

Delving deeper beyond the surface, the play is a response to the French middle classes’ passive acceptance of Nazism, particularly their collaboration with the Vichy regime during WW2. It’s both a retrospective critique and a cautionary tale. At its core, it’s an exploration of human nature, revealing the ease with which people can conform, the speed at which it occurs, and the immense challenge of resisting such conformity. Its themes remain pertinent today, even if one doesn’t directly associate it with specific historical or contemporary events

 

If you like this play, you might also like…? 

The Bald Soprano by Eugène Ionesco, The Lesson by Eugène Ionesco

 

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Want to read the script?

 

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