Endgame
Shakespeare and Company, 37 Rue de la Bûcherie
8pm, 1st February
Free
In English
Plastic sheets have been strung up from the lines of lanterns outside Paris' historic english-language bookshop Shakespeare & Co., and the rain is coming down with such force that the students and Beckett fans huddled under this leaky parapet are hardly able to discern the mighty Notre Dame just across the river from this makeshift theatre. Huge golf umbrellas are handed out by cast members and newcomers join in the general lament on meteorological misfortune whilst selecting the least-wet chair. Somebody wipes down Beckett's eponymous ashcans (that we know contain two very uncomfortable, and by now very wet, actors) and the guy operating the spotlight looks nervously at the wires. Yet, the mood is upbeat, jokes about apocalyptic appropriateness are flowing - a few of these reveal gross misunderstandings of the Beckett oeuvre but we all laugh anyway, and when the director asks if we should move the show upstairs to Shakespeare's tiny reading room the answer is a unanimous no.
The performance itself is triumphantly amateurish, Hamm and Clov interrupt one another with much greater frequency than I remember, the alarm clock only works fifty percent of the time (dampness) and great chunks of the text are absent. Nell is not cued in and thus does not speak a single line throughout the play despite being squashed into an ashcan for over an hour; well, Beckett did once say that if he were to have his way, all actors would be confined to dustbins. Yet, despite all this the play is very enjoyable and even the sheeting rain enhances the cruelty and grotesque flamboyancy of Hamm as he orders the deformed Clov to again and again hazard the slippery steps off stage. Of course, when Clov gazes out of the window to report he can see water everywhere, he enjoys laughs all round. A haphazard production that does well to bring out the absurd and the hilarious, even if this may often appear incidental, with a strong leading partnership that creates a pair of Beckettian clowns to rival Vladimir and Estragon.
Shakespeare & Co. do not advertise all of their literary events online so it is always best to call into the shop and chat to the ever-friendly and always knowledgeable staff or just have a look at the board outside if you are interested in their poetry readings, book signing, talks and plays. Shakespeare's will always be an invaluable resource and one of the best meeting places for those seeking English-language culture in Paris, no matter how rough around the edges that culture might prove to be.
No comments:
Post a Comment