“Nothing is funnier than unhappiness,” says Nell, a pathetic character, even by Samuel Beckett’s standards, in his minimalist masterpiece.
“Endgame,” is currently on stage at Dallas’ Undermain Theatre, and by the end of the show I guarantee you will understand what she implies.
To say that “Endgame” is bleak is an understatement, yet to say it is funny is another.
The play, rather ironically, manages to present one of the more hopeless set of individuals ever seen on stage and, whether due to the unbelievable nature of the situation or Beckett’s true comedic genius, out of their misery the characters, especially in this production, have the ability to elicit peals of laughter from the audience.
“Endgame” is the story of four barely alive individuals, who seem to be the only survivors of an apocalypse of sorts.
And, in true Beckett fashion, the characters include Hamm, the blind and lame master of the house, Clov his pathetic servant who is unable to sit, and Hamm’s two parents, living upstage in trashcans, unable to move having both lost their legs.
Hamm is cruel and bitter, but despite the awareness that lives are mere farce, Clov cannot leave, and the play consists of the two ritualistically re-enacting each day that has come before; nothing ever changes in this universe.
Beckett was one of the central figures in the artistic movement referred to as the “Theater of the Absurd.”
Within the movement, artists took their cue from the existentialists: life is absurd and meaningless.
This worldview is evident in “Endgame,” as the characters seem trapped in a pointless existence, from which it appears they cannot and have no desire to escape, despite their recognition of its meaninglessness.
Undermain’s production of the comedy manages to highlight the comedy while not neglecting the eternal repetition and cyclical nature of Beckett’s universe. Undermain mainstay and founding member Bruce DuBose portrays Hamm, while Jonathan Brooks played the piteous Clov. Laura Jorgensen and Fred Cuchack, who produced the most laughs, portrayed Hamm’s parents Nell and Nagg, respectively.
Another exciting aspect of the production was its direction by Stan Wojewodski who was recently appointed Dean of SMU’s Theatre department.
Wojewodski is an acclaimed director and producer who most recently served as Artistic Director of the Yale Repertory Theatre and Dean of the Yale School of Drama.
The Undermain Theatre is located in a basement space in the heart of Deep Ellum.
Tickets for the show range from $15 to $25 depending on the night of the week. The play runs through May 8.
