Clov (Andrew Buckland) already in character as audience members walk in before the show. PHOTO: Zoë Human.
Endgame, directed by Sylvaine Strike, brilliantly captures the tenets of existentialist playwright Samuel Beckett.
The play, considered one of Beckett’s most formidable works, explores man’s loneliness, purpose and the human condition in the post-apocalyptic society presented in this one-act play.
With an all-star cast that includes the likes of Andrew Buckland (Hamm), Rob Van Vuuren (Clov), Soli Philander (Nagg) and Antoinette Kellerman (Nell), the characters brilliantly exude depression in this stellar performance.
With Nagg and Nell confined to their rubbish bins, Hamm to his chair, Clov, although with failing limbs, is the only character capable of changing his circumstances and leaving the shelter that the characters restrict themselves to.
The lights go down, ending the play with Clov watching Hamm, suitcase in hand. Will he leave or will he stay? This open ending leaves the decision with the audience. Does Clov pursue the unknown alone or does his need for companionship force him to remain?
Beckett’s plays are iconically tragic in their approach to humour. “Nothing is funnier than unhappiness,” states Nell. This is a line regarded by Beckett to be the most important line of the entire play. Audiences instinctively laugh at the sad reality of the individuals presented on stage.
The play, which premiered just over 60 years ago (1957) was first presented by Strike at the Baxter Theatre in Cape Town in 2018. The play received rave reviews and was a sold-out success.
The 2019 Woordfees production of Strike’s adaption took place in the Rhenish Girls High School Hall. Described on Woordfees’ webpage as “Classical theatre at its best”, Endgame is a definite highlight on the 2019 Woordfees programme.