A few words from your heart
An evening of amateur dramatics from EUTC at Bedlam Theatre, Endgame by Samuel Beckett, felt like an interesting choice of production. The only negatives to note were feeling like the plot needed to have your full attention to understand what was happening due to the writing, along with the production feeling like it was being dragged out more than it needed to be. However, this was written in the late 50s, so I’m unsure if this can count as a critique for the writer; it just feels like it’s catered towards a certain target audience overall.
The cast built up of duos, Noah Sarvesvaran & Robbie Morris as our centre characters, Jude Rogers & Abi Price supporting the piece, were brilliant. For a university society production, you would think the cast were in the final year of their acting training, a brilliant job done from all, just wish we got to see more of Price. Sarvesvaran as Clov and Morris as Hamm made a great duo, with great comedic timing from both. They were brilliant to watch, with great stage presence from the pair. From entering the scene, it was hard not to laugh, yet question what Clov was doing and why the set was kept hidden; however, using this as an opportunity to make a comedic moment occur was brilliant. Morris, as Hamm, felt like a madman who had lost the plot whilst waiting for his end. Along with Sarvesvaran, this pair were able to portray an interesting dynamic that felt similar to a Disney villain and their sidekick and kept the audience entertained throughout. Rodgers and Price as Nagg and Nell were phenomenal, Rodgers being no stranger to the Bedlam stage, along with Price, known for involvement with Bedlam’s The Improverts, Sharkbait Theatre and A Piece of Work Theatre, the pair made a brilliant duo and had such a wonderful way of showcasing shifts throughout the piece making such a great contrast between their two characters as well. The only thing that stood out to me from a critical standpoint was the end blocking for the piece with an extra character, wondering if they needed to be on stage in this moment and the reason as to why they were needed in that moment.
The set design for this production was brilliant, with a very monochrome feel to the set, yet subtle pops of colour from the chair and costumes to help bring a contrast to the stage were great. You could tell a lot of thought and care went into creating this set for the production. The bins for Nagg and Nell were brilliant and left me wondering how they could enter and leave the stage throughout. As previously mentioned, costumes made the piece feel like it had a slightly more modern and interesting feel for the characters. I loved the choices for Hamm and Clov’s outfit, which helped to convey the dynamic between the two characters, a brilliant design choice from those involved.
Overall, this production was a fab midweek watch alongside an interesting introduction to one of Beckett’s pieces; the character work from the cast was obvious to see how much they put into their performances, along with a minimal yet appropriate set and unique costume choices as well. The blocking throughout the piece was great, with a good use of both the set and the stage. I look forward to returning to Bedlam Theatre again sometime soon and seeing what EUTC get up to next.