On Beckett, Shakespeare Theatre Company
There are many different genres of one-actor shows, even within the subset of the self-created. A recent season at the Shakespeare Theatre Company featured actor Patrick Page's show about Shakespeare's villains, crafted under the idea that Shakespeare so advanced the portrayal of complex human stories on stage that he invented the first onstage villains. Now, the great Bill Irwin has arrived at STC with his own show, On Beckett , exploring the work of Samuel Beckett through his personal lens as an actor and clown. Throughout the 90 minute show, he moves back and forth between excerpts from the master's work and his own commentary as the performer, using texts that are both expected (Waiting for Godot is heavily featured--and also the only theatrical text in the piece) and unexpected (even Beckett's novel Watt makes an appearance). Bill Irwin in On Beckett , photo by Craig Schwartz. Any audience in the world is lucky to see Irwin onstage in any c...
