Here All Night is a glorious affair whilst remaining at all times understated in its approach. Interweaving spoken word, singing and an orchestra this production exhibits Beckett’s music and words in a fascinating manner.
Here All Night is a glorious affair whilst remaining at all times understated in its approach. Interweaving spoken word, singing and an orchestra this production exhibits Beckett’s music and words in a fascinating manner.
Out of Joint’s recent production of Samuel Beckett’s All That Fall, directed by the renowned founder of the company, Max Stafford-Clark, is an intriguing attempt to reconcile the intimacy of a radio play with the immediacy of live performance. There is certainly a frisson of anticipation among the audience as we take our blindfolds, and many an excited exchange of glance as, following a short but warm welcome and introduction from the cast, we donned them and surrender to the darkness.
Whispering Beasts puts on Irish plays exploring what they call the Irish voice. It would be wonderful to hear their thoughts on the country’s best known playwright writing much of his work in French but that is irrelevant to this review. That playwright is of course Samuel Beckett. Beasts are now putting on three of his lesser know short works at the Old Red Lion, a venue perfect for the intimate, disturbing feel of the plays.
The lady in front of me in the queue for Beckett’s trilogy, Not I, Footfalls and Rockaby, told me how “brave” I was to “tackle a Beckett”, which took me by surprise. In the dark about why this should be, I prepared to be enlightened. The darkness soon becomes literal and total.