Review: ON BECKETT at A.C.T. Geary Theatre

On Beckett is an obvious labor of love, combining the phenomenal clown skills of the great Bill Irwin with his affection for the works of Samuel Beckett. Great comics often make great dramatic actors (e.g., Gleason, Lewis, Williams) and Irwin can, in a split second and with the aid of some clown props, morph into Beckett's complex, Irish voiced characters. The result is a stunning one-man show that delights and challenges.

With his lineage that can be traced back to Harold Lloyd, Chaplin and Keaton, Irwin has for decades been the king of clowns. With his rubbery face, flawless body movements, oversize pants and shoes, and the requisite bowler, Irwin easily becomes the representation of Beckett's assortment of characters. "Clown fuel" he calls the poetic words of Beckett, providing the "character energy" required to deliver the prose.

Using passages from Beckett's 1950 Texts for Nothing (Text #1, 9 and 11), Irwin poses questions about Beckett's intentions, offering astute possibilities and his own answers. Beckett's fetish with human frailty, the precise but undefinable aspects, and going toe to toe with despair are tied to his impeccable choice of material.

There's a crowd-pleasing segment on "clown shtick" where Irwin gets to show off skills he's honed his entire life and remains their champion. He's breathtaking to behold and certainly, at 72, at the top of his game. Of course, the evening wouldn't be complete without mention of Beckett's most renowned work Waiting for Godot and Irwin, who has a long history of acting in it, engages us in his invaluable observations. The play has been interpreted as existentialist, political (Beckett was a Resistance fighter) religious and even sexual. Irwin brings out the vaudevillian aspects in his characterizations and performs Lucky's speech from Act I, an incoherent jumble of words meant to irritate the other characters.

Irwin, a four-time Tony nominee and 2005 winner for Best Actor (Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf) has created a piece that is both thoughtful, educational, and wildly rewarding. Irwin's fascination with Beckett's words shines a new light on the Nobel winning author and his sometimes-bleak tragicomic vision of an absurd world spinning into chaos.

On Beckett runs through October 23rd. Tickets available at act-sf.org or by calling 415.749.2228

Photo credit by Kevin Berne, Craig Schwartz

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