Rhinoceros At The Yale Rep
The Yale Rep is mounting a spirited revival of Eugène Ionesco’s absurdist masterpiece Rhinoceros in a new adaptation by Frank Galati (from a translation by Derek Prouse) under the direction of Liz Diamond.
Ionesco’s parable depicts a small French town whose residents are turning, one by one, into rampaging rhinoceroses. Only Berenger, a sort of Everyman figure who appears in a number of Ionesco’s plays, resists the mad rush into conformity with the ugly herd.
Over the years, Rhinoceros has been seen as an allegory condemning fascism or communism or maybe both. Ionesco resisted such hard and fast readings of his work but a lot of good his protestations did him. Critics weren’t convinced and it’s not too hard to see why. Indeed, in periods like the present, when politics become fraught and the population polarized, Rhinoceros is dusted off for another revival.
So, Yale University being a hotbed of hyper woke orthodoxy, this Rhinoceros must surely be a searing indictment of ultra right wing MAGA groupthink, right? Not so fast.
Galati has pared Ionesco’s “three acts and four scenes” into a fast-moving ninety minutes. While I tend to grumble about the current tendency to spare audiences the challenge of actually paying attention for a few hours, Galati’s cut-to-the-chase approach works surprisingly well.
The gist of Rhinoceros is, after all, fairly straightforward, so why elaborate?
Director Diamond’s rapid-fire production follows suit. It’s full of sound and fury thanks to the kinetic lighting of Donald Holder, the bracing sound design of Xi (Zoey) Lin, the projections of Ke Xu, and the contributions of whoever orchestrates the copious clouds of dust that waft across the stage as unseen rhinoceroses thunder by.
While the production doesn’t signify nothing (to round out the hoary Shakespearean allusion), it neatly avoids any tidy political interpretations. If you want to see an anti-Trump message, feel free, but this Rhinoceros could just as easily be seen as an indictment of left wing groupthink.
For my part, I felt Diamond’s treatment vindicated Ionesco’s insistence that he was not making any broad political statements. He seemed to hold right wing and left wing orthodoxy in equal disdain.
It’s telling that the central character, Berenger, is no Hollywood-style hero. He is an indolent, slovenly schlub who hates his job, drinks too much, and pays little attention to social niceties.
Maybe Berenger’s famous last line, “I am not capitulating!” is less a heroic statement than an admission that he just doesn’t give a s**t. Capitulation, after all, would mean making a commitment. It might even be hard work.
This Rhinoceros also benefits from some fine performances. The Berenger of Reg Rogers is all fraying edges. Phillip Taratula as Jean (here called Gene) distinguishes himself as he transforms from a fastidious pompous ass into a rhinoceros in the role made famous by Zero Mostel in the original Broadway production.
I wish Diamond had allowed him to effect the change without the aid of stick-on prostheses, which required him to duck into and out of the bathroom. Mostel didn’t need any help and I suspect Taratula wouldn’t have either.
Nice work, too, by Will Dagger, a character actor’s character actor, as Dudard, one of the last to transition.
Rhinoceros continues at the Yale Rep through March 28, 2026. For more information and to purchase tickets visit the Yale Rep’s website.
Footnote: Zero Mostel’s legendary, Tony-Award-winning performance is preserved, more of less, in the 1974 film version of Rhinoceros, directed by Tom O’Horgan and co-starring Gene Wilder as Berenger. The film also has the virtue of hewing much closer to Ionesco’s original script than the Rep’s production. The film is currently available for rent for just $2.99 on Amazon Prime Video.
