Beckett Play – They Loved it in Paris – They Fell Asleep in New York – How About Sligo?

The thought of a Samuel Beckett play in Sligo is a rather daunting one. Even the most straight-forward productions by Sligo Drama Circle in the past have met with very poor audience response so it is difficult to imagine Beckett having any more attraction. That is the reality of the situation in Sligo, although the Drama Circle, who are staging the play with the help of visiting Americans, Philip Price and Mary Brecht, believe that there should be a supporting audience for serious theatre, and Beckett’s “Endgame”, to be staged at the Venue in Strandhill in two weeks time, will be something of a feeler for similar productions when the new theatre is finished at Temple Street. The sequence of events leading to the presentation of “Endgame” is quite co-incidental. Fred Zeserson, an American who had been living in County Sligo since 1967, met with Philip Price and Mary Brecht, who were holidaying here recently. Fred admits to having a twenty year passion for the work of Beckett so he was delighted to note that Philip and Mary had been recently working on Beckett material in New York and Paris. Fred convinced them that the time was now right for Sligo to sample some of the famous Irishman’s work and, within twenty four hours, they had enlisted the help of Sligo Drama Circle and the parts were cast.

The play deals with an ongoing theme of Beckett’s – the assessment of the essentials of life through the approach to death. Philip Price admits that Beckett’s work demands attention and commitment from the audience but he also points out that, in its essential nature, it is also very relevant to the present day. “It is a difficult play for audiences but, by the audience giving it the attention it deserves, there is a lot to be gained from it. The play contains a certain amount of comedy – for Beckett is basically a comic writer – clown elements and vaudeville, and by viewing the story line as incidental to the condition, it can be a release. That has always been Beckett’s intention”, says Philip. Philip has worked, over the years, on many standard productions, including Ken Kesey’s “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”, but he has been dealing with “Endgame” for the past year, having worked in Paris and New York.

“In New York the audience were bored, they slept and they walked out. It was a difficult opening but reviews in the New York Times mentioned the play as a worthwhile production and the audience were more responsive afterwards. In Paris we received a front page piece in La Monde and the audience were in a frenzy right from the beginning. The reaction there was absolutely stunning and we felt that we were the toast of Paris for the entire week. Sligo is going to be difficult. I have already said that it is a difficult play but I would hope fro some commitment from the audience. We want people to come and see the play and we want it to be a success”, he says. The Sligo actors, for whom this is a major undertaking, realise the obstacles confronting them. The central character, Hamm (Walter Mc Donagh), is waited on, as he contemplates life through death, by Clov (Lionel Gallagher). Supporting roles are played by Joe Meehan and Joan Fitzpatrick, who have long connections with drama in Sligo. For both of them, it is something they always wanted to do. Says Joe: “We believe that there is a built-in audience in Sligo for Beckett, perhaps a couple of hundred people, and we would be hoping for response from people who have a little knowledge of what we are doing. As far as serious theatre is concerned, ‘Endgame will be a beneficial exercise in that we will have to re-appraise the catalogue of productions for the new theatre. There will have to be a mix of popular productions a and serious theatre in a definite artistic programme, if the new theatre is to be a worthwhile venture”.

The fact that Philip Price and Mary Brecht have thought it worth their while to devote some of their time to Sligo is enough justification to go and see the play. We hope that it will help both them and Sligo. Costumes are designed by Mary Brecht and made by Joan and Mary Gallagher. Sets are designed by Ken Cordall-Crier and constructed by Jimmy Farrell of Dromard and the play is directed by Philip Price, with the assistance of Fred Zeserson. It will be on for three nights, August 26th, 27th and 28th at “The Venue” in Strandhill.

from The Western Journal, August 15th, 1980