On Beckett, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Klein Theatre, Washington, DC
Bill Irwin may well be the ultimate “man of many talents.” According to his cast biography for the current Shakespeare Theatre Company offering, On Beckett, an Irish Repertory Theatre production, he is “a Tony Award-winning actor, director, writer, and clown.” His Wikipedia profile adds choreographer, comedian, creator, and adapter.
He is also a true genius, as evidenced by his selection as
the first performance artist to receive a MacArthur Fellowship, often
colloquially referred to as “the Genius Grant.” He may well be the actor with
the highest identity as an interpreter of the work of Samuel Beckett, the
enigmatic, Nobel Prize-winning Irish writer, who wrote in French and later
translated his work to English. Theatre artists and scholars sometimes revel in
their classifications, though Beckett defies simple classification. As a student,
I was taught Beckett’s plays as “theatre of the absurd.” Today, scholars often
refer to his plays as tragicomedies, often referring to his work as
existentialist, which is more a philosophical than theatrical categorization.
On Beckett is not a play, but it is a show, featuring
a stellar performance by a tremendous talent. Irwin addresses the audience
directly, connecting various passages from Beckett’s works with his own
thoughts. It is almost as if we are being given a tour of Beckett’s world by
someone who has visited many times. He expresses his fascination and delight
with Beckett’s language. All the while he reminds us that his relationship with
Beckett is that of an actor to a writer and not as a scholar.
Irwin delights in sharing his experiences with Beckett’s
work and he inhabits the characters physically and vocally. At times, he makes
himself seem larger than life and then seems to shrink before our eyes. He
appears to have joints made of rubber as he gives us glimpses of the impish
clown he once trained to be.
The veteran of more than one production of the play, Irwin seems
amused by the ongoing debate about what may be the most debated aspect of
Beckett’s work. That is, of course, the pronunciation of the last word in the
title of probably his best-known play, Waiting for Godot. He indicates
that he has utilized both, noting that the Americans appear to pronounce it as
Guh-doh, while the British prefer God-oh. (Note: The Shakespeare Theatre
Company produced the play in 2018 and I honestly can’t remember which pronunciation
was used.)
On Beckett is conceived, created, and performed by Irwin;
it is so intensely personal that it is difficult to imagine anyone else
performing it. As its creator and only actor, he functions also as its
director. The minimalist set, designed by Charlie Corcoran, is complemented by
Michael Gottlieb’s lighting design. Costumes are minimalist, too, and with no
designer listed, we can assume that Irwin is responsible for his basic outfit,
supplemented by two pairs of very baggy pants (a not-too-subtle reminder of
Irwin’s clown training) and several bowler hats, as specified by Beckett.
For those who have not previously seen or read Beckett, On
Beckett provides a warm personal introduction. Beckett aficionados and
skeptics alike should see it in Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Klein Theatre
before it closes on March 15.
Bill Irwin in On Beckett at Shakespeare Theatre Company. Photo credit: Craig Schwartz.
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