In Stoppard’s play and film adaptation Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead the central conceit is that we follow these two minor characters from Hamlet, occasionally witnessing their scenes from that tragic play but mostly seeing them ‘off stage’ and using that device to explore the meaning of life and art.

Stoppard produced in the play and in the film a piece that uses comedy to interrogate serious question of life and coming next month to Hulu a comedic film uses the same trick for what appears to be purely comic effect.

Rosaline like Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead uses a minor character from one of Shakespeare’s plays to create a new point of view from which to watch the tragedy unfold. This time the play is Romeo and Juliet. This time the minor character is one who was mentioned but never actually seen in the text, Rosaline, the girl Romeo professed to love and adore before his ill-fated meeting with Juliet. Now spurned by her Romeo, Rosaline conspires to win her love back.

I don’t hold out hope for high art, but I’ll watch it on streaming for amusements sake.