Eugène Ionesco: RHINOCEROS

In a small, imaginary town, the authoritarian and conformist Jean criticizes the self-destructive way of life of his alcoholic friend, Bérenger. Meanwhile, a rhinoceros walks by.

I experienced fanaticism a long time ago… It was terrible… Fanaticism disfigures people… it dehumanizes them. I had a strong impression that I was dealing with nonhumans, and I could not make myself clear… I had the idea of depicting these debased people with animal features.

Ionesco’s words are in line with the experiences of his friend, Denis de Rougemont, who witnessed a collective hysteria that broke out while waiting for Hitler’s arrival. This is the starting point of the play Rhinoceros.
Rhinoceros (1959) is without a doubt an anti-Nazi play, with references to the Stalinism experienced by Ionesco in his home country. Today, though, it is perceived as a play that presents collective hysteria and epidemics, hidden beneath the mask of rationality and ideas. Mixing the comic with the tragic, Rhinoceros is, perhaps, the richest of Ionesco’s plays.
With the aid of brilliant actors and Christoph Rasche’s novel set design, Frank Hoffman changes radically the perspective of the piece. Slowly, slowly, the spectator himself will transform into a rhinoceros…