Beckett Double Bill
As recent as February, Jermyn Street Theatre in London hosted the late Samuel Beckett’s Krapp’s Last Tape and The Old Tune(Beckett Double Bill). Both are short pieces and have minimal set, cast of one or two, and together run just under an hour and a half. Some reading here may’ve been present during the actual run, but fortunately for those who weren’t, the show can be viewed right from a laptop or TV as it’s currently being hosted by Digital Theatre. Samuel Beckett, who epitomizes absurdist theatre, offers no exception in these two pieces. That’s to say, the existence of a concrete story or formulaic plot structure are essentially non-existent. For some this is a turn off, but plays like these two actually might be more relatable than they initially come off.
The first is Krapp’s Last Tape. The simple part is what audiences will see initially: A set consisting of a table, stacks of paper, and an old fashioned tape recorder all sitting under the one lit place on the stage with the rest of the surrounding area covered in darkness. ‘Krapp’ is played by elder actor James Hayes, and is the only actor in the play. The easiest way to explain it is: Krapp has a yearly tradition of recording himself on tape and basically describing his year and how he feels about it. The play begins with him at age sixty-nine playing a tape of him at age thirty-nine, listening and reacting to how he saw things differently in his youth, often even becoming frustrating at his past naivety. Sharing much more than that would leave readers without a need to see the play. The play for as short as it is, is riddled with metaphors and philosophy, and Hayes does the job to more than pristine efficiency. The lack of dialogue is actually a positive for this play, as the audience will see Hayes do much of his work through silence and physical expression as he listens to the younger man he once was.
Then there is The Old Tune which is actually an English translation of a radio play by Robert Pinget. It consists of two characters, Cream and Gorman played by actors David Threlfall and Niall Buggy. The simple part is: Two old men sitting on a bench, reminiscing about the past, forgetting much of it, complaining about life, family and their current state of affairs, and really just sitting down and speaking with another to curb their loneliness. It obviously goes much deeper, though as it’s a Beckett play, revealing too much would simply ruin the experience. The fun of this show is watching Threlfall and Buggy hit the volleyball back and forth over the net with their dialogue, earn laughs with their timing, and struggle to remember what it is they’re talking about. Rest assured, both of this plays are short but they are absolutely layered with interesting ideas and subject matter that many still ponder even now. Hop over to digitaltheatre.com and enjoy.
