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Michael Cox reviews a difficult classic that is given an 'excellent' performance.
I recall a professor once quoting a research project into audience reactions to the work of Samuel Beckett. According to this survey, the people who apparently responded best were children and prisoners: both groups were better at focusing on the moment rather than on ‘what will happen next’.
I was reminded of this lecture when watching Happy Days at the Tron. Performed by Karen Dunbar, the play revolves around Winnie, a woman who spends the entire play buried in the ground; act one sees here buried to her waist, act two up to her neck.
The play is not necessarily ‘about’ anything, but its ambiguous nature and use of symbols lend it multiple interpretations. The play really is a dialogue Winnie has with herself, and the moments of mindless chitchat equals clever insight. She has a handbag filled with objects, and then there’s grunting Willie (a glorified cameo well-played by director Andy Arnold) who shares some back-and-forth, but for the most part it is all about the actress playing Winnie.
So thank goodness Arnold has cast the excellent Dunbar, who brings a sarcastic integrity and an earnest relatable nature to the character. Dunbar might not play a slow, deliberate pace preferred by some, but she certainly shines throughout the entire piece. Her Winnie is not an overly optimistic soul but more of a hopeful person, and while there are moments the play occasionally stutters in tedium, it has as many (if not more) moments that work splendidly.
Happy Days is not going to change the opinion of any naysayers of Beckett’s, but for fans, and for an audience willing to try the experimental, the production does work a treat. Maybe it is a bit challenging at times, but shouldn’t good theatre be just that?
Happy Days performs at the Tron until May 23.
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