Bath's esteemed Ustinov Theatre has become the unlikely epicentre of a theatrical triumph with a blistering new production of Samuel Beckett's challenging masterpiece, Endgame. This stark, profoundly moving interpretation, directed with visionary precision by Lisa Blair, forces a brutal yet beautiful confrontation with the essence of human existence.
A Stellar Cast Navigates The Abyss
Leading the charge are two performances of raw power and exquisite nuance. Douglas Hodge is a revelation as Hamm, the blind, tyrannical master confined to his chair. Hodge masterfully oscillates between monstrous egotism and vulnerable fragility, his voice a formidable instrument that commands the dusty, bunkered room.
Opposite him, Mathew Horne delivers a career-defining performance as Clov, his resentful, stiff-legged servant. Horne's physical comedy is impeccable, but it's the seething resentment and fleeting glimpses of a lost humanity that truly captivate. Their toxic, symbiotic relationship becomes a grimly funny and heartbreaking dance of dependency.
Design That Evokes A Dying World
The creative team constructs a world that is a character in itself. Tim Shortall's magnificent set is a dilapidated, circular room, a post-apocalyptic tomb that feels both vast and claustrophobically intimate. It’s a visual metaphor for a dying universe, perfectly complemented by Malcolm Rippeth's haunting lighting design that sculpts the actors in shadows and dim, dying light.
Finding Light in Beckett's Darkness
What makes this production so exceptional is its unexpected warmth. Amidst the famous bleakness—"Finished, it's finished, nearly finished, it must be nearly finished"—Blair and her cast unearth a rich seam of humour and touching humanity. The moments of connection, however brief, land with immense power, suggesting that even in the end, companionship, however flawed, is all we have.
This is not a easy night at the theatre, but it is an essential one. A masterclass in performance and direction, this Endgame is a definitive revival that confirms Beckett's enduring power to shock, amuse, and ultimately move us deeply.
