ON BECKETT/IN SCREEN (Irish Repertory Theatre/Stream Theatre)****

 

By Cal

Link: https://www.stream.theatre/season/84 

Available until: On demand until 18^th April

On Beckett/In Screen manages to be really difficult and very reassuring all at once. Difficult because… well, it’s Samuel Beckett! Reassuring because I did get the feeling all the way through that it was okay to find it difficult.

There’s one performer, Bill Irwin. He conceived the show, he wrote it, he co-directed it with M. Florian Staab and he acts in it, alone. He performs Beckett’s scenes and prose, but mostly, he’s talking about Beckett. Trying to make sense of it for us in a way that’s accessible without actually dumbing down. It’s not like a lecture. It’s more like Bill is chatting to us, sharing his love for Beckett and trying to inspire us not to give up on his plays just yet.

But it’s not just about Bill’s love for Beckett. He doesn’t profess to be an expert. He freely admits he’s not read every word Beckett ever wrote, which is incredibly reassuring. I like to think of myself as a Shakespeare fan. I’ve seen the main thirty-seven plays at least three times. I’ve read a fair number of them. I’ve read Edward III, which might or might not be Shakespeare. I’ve read Venus and Adonis. But I haven’t read the other poems and I haven’t read most of the sonnets.

Bill also says he doesn’t like everything Beckett wrote and that’s also really reassuring. I don’t like everything Shakespeare wrote. I don’t like The Taming of the Shrew (apart from Christopher Sly, of course. How can you not love Christopher Sly? But if you don’t, I respect that).

This refreshing honesty is characteristic of On Beckett/In Screen. Bill isn’t snobby or precious about Beckett. He has times when he doesn’t even like him. Bill is authentic and human and he makes On Beckett/In Screen so much more accessible than it could have been. Bill isn’t lecturing us. He’s sharing Beckett with us – but not just that. He’s sharing his personal relationship with Beckett. A lot of it is very funny, but there’s no sense that he’s making fun of Beckett. You can see his love for Beckett, his commitment to this show.

Bill is also a clown and he says performing Beckett and being a clown actually aren’t that far away from each other. The only clowns I’ve really seen are the ones in the circus who screech at the top of their voices and try to get you to screech back. The type of clowning Bill is talking about is a lot more advanced – for one thing, he is actually funny - but watching him perform Beckett, the clowning feels completely right and it actually makes Beckett more comprehensible. Bill’s use of costumes is also really clever – a small change, along with a change in his movement, completely transforms him. (And if you thought walking sticks were just for helping you walk, you’re wrong.)

I admit I’ve only read two Beckett plays. Waiting for Godot, which was insane in a mostly rather delightful way, though it does have some moments that shake you, and Endgame, which was… I don’t know quite what to say about Endgame, but after hearing Bill’s comments on the subject, I feel much more comfortable with not knowing what to say.

Bill gives a few performances of Beckett's work, sometimes just a line here and there, sometimes something longer. He is really good. He’s funny and he’s great at the characterisations. He even makes me feel I can almost understand what it all means. Even when I don’t understand, it’s very engaging. He also has some great stories to tell and he manages to do it without seeming like he’s name-dropping.

I think what Bill reminds us – and which lecturers and teachers have often forgotten, and which I’m going to try very hard to remember when I’m teaching – is that plays are fun. It’s probably an idea to take your studies seriously, but you don’t have to take the plays seriously. Or yourself. Enjoyment is creative and being creative can only help when it comes to interpreting a play. (Being very, very creative in some cases.) Even though there were parts of this that went way over my head, the performance is inspiring because it makes me want to try Beckett again and makes me feel that I might actually understand it. One day.

If you want to learn more about Beckett or you have to learn more about Beckett, this play should make his plays seem fun, or at least a bit less scary. But if you already know a lot about Beckett, you’d probably still enjoy it because it’s a really interesting show with a great performer.