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Play ,
Footfalls, and Not I.
A Triple Bill.
Playwright - Samuel Beckett .
Director - Andy Arnold.
Set Design - Sarah Paulley.
Lighting Designer - Steven Rowe.
Wardrobe - Fee Carrington.
Company - The Arches Theatre Company.
Cast - here .
Venue - The Arches Theatre 253 Argyll St. Book on line at www.thearches.co.uk
0901 022 0300.
Dates - 23 Sept - 4 Oct at 8.00pm not Suns or Mons.
Reviewer - Jay Dee.
Performances reveal why his work endures.
Three stories of isolation and incarceration are delivered with commitment
and intensity by a small company of actors in The Arches Theatre Company’s
latest endeavour, a season of works by the much loved and hated Samuel
Beckett.
In Play, the three members of a love triangle seem trapped in the
past – condemned to relive the details of their involvement over
and over. Footfalls sees a woman endlessly pacing the floors of
her mother’s house and similarly resigned to unceasing examination
of the past. Not I reveals a woman, silent throughout her life,
suddenly, terrifyingly finding her voice.
The plays all deal in memory, presenting characters doomed to exist only
in the past tense, lacking the will or the wish to create forward motion.
This production is designed to accentuate this – dim, murky lighting
mixed with glaring intensity, faded costumes and a simple, muted set all
add to the feeling of an existence solely in recollection – sometimes
remembered with piercing ferocity, sometimes vague and insubstantial.
This simplicity of production is one of the greatest strengths of the
performance, as it allows the audience to focus on the richness of Beckett’s
incredible writing. The acting is strong, with Pauline
Goldsmith a standout in all three plays. The performers, physically
constrained by the detailed directions Beckett’s work is so famous
for, rely heavily on vocal interpretation for the creation of character.
Interestingly, for works so well known for their rigid performance requirements,
this production differed greatly from others I have seen – the characters
are more sympathetic and strangely heartfelt. The company has worked hard
on interpreting the language and has succeeded in delivering rich and
individual character snapshots, involving and even touching in places.
When as required by Becket, Pauline Goldsmith's voice is amplified during
her stream of consciousness monologue in Not I, the effect jars somewhat
when performed in such a small, intimate space.
But the whole production presents a great and rare opportunity to see
some of Beckett's most interesting works performed well, a chance to revel
in his fascinating language and remind ourselves why his work endures.
© Jay Dee 25 September 2003, published on EdinburghGuide.com
Cast: Play - W2 - Muireann Kelly, W1 - Pauline
Goldsmith and M -Stephen Clyde.
Footfalls - May - Muireann Kelly and Voice - Pauline Goldsmith.
Not I -: Mouth - Pauline Goldsmith and Auditor - Stephen Clyde.
Theatre Editor, Thelma Good's e-mail is
thelma@edinburghguide.com
Although every effort has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the
information presented in these pages, no responsibility can be accepted
for any errors or omissions.
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