In Rhinoceros, as in his early plays, Ionesco startles audiences with a world that invariably erupts in explosive laughter and nightmare anxiety. A rhinoceros suddely apears in a small town, tramping through its peaceful streets. Soon there are two, then three, until the movement is universal: a transformation of average citizens into beasts, as they learn to move with the times. Finally, only one man remains. I'm the last man left, and I'm staying that way until the end. I'm not capitulating!