David Prendeville
Running throughout February and until March 26th is the Gate’s highly anticipated production of Samuel Beckett’s classic Endgame, from Broadway director Danya Taymor. This r
evival of the seminal comic-tragic masterpiece sees Taymor make her Gate debut following her recent acclaimed production of Antoinette Chinonye Nwandu’s Pass Over which reopened Broadway in 2021.
Also making their Gate debuts, as Hamm and Clov, are Bafta-nominated comedian Frankie Boyle, and Robert Sheehan, Bafta-nominated star of Netflix’s The Umbrella Academy and RTÉ’s Love/Hate.
Returning to the Gate stage are Sean McGinley and Gina Moxley; McGinley recently appeared in Lucy Kirkwood’s The Children, while Moxley previously appeared in Lorca’s The House of Bernarda Alba.
Endgame is a one-act play with four characters. It was originally written in French (entitled Fin de partie); Beckett himself translated it into English. The play was first performed in a French-language production at the Royal Court Theatre in London, opening on 3rd April 1957. The follow-up to Waiting
for Godot, it is commonly con-
sidered to be among Beckett’s best works.
The play centres on the fractious relationship between irascible tyrant Hamm and his boy-servant, Clov. An apocalyptic, nihilistic and darkly funny tale, the play also features Hamm’s parents, Nagg and Nell, living in dustbins, tossed aside by an uncaring world. Although it is now sixty five years since Endgame’s original premiere, it remains an urgent and strikingly relevant work that speaks to the existential and absurdist challenges of our time.
It will be fascinating to see what this talented director can make of this wonderful play. The casting is also very inter
esting. Sheehan is a seasoned, excellent performer. It is the casting of comedian Boyle that is likely to raise the most eyebrows. I can’t wait to see what the performers bring to these iconic characters.
This much anticipated production will open February 16 (previews from February 11) and run until March 26. Tickets for all shows recently sold out, however, with the hope that Covid restrictions are likely to ease over the coming weeks, the Gate are hoping that they will be able to make more tickets available once capacity limits have been increased
People can register to be first to hear about future ticket releases at the Gate’s homepage: http://gatetheatre.ie/
Endgame is presented with the kind support of the Marker Hotel. The Gate Theatre is proudly supported by the Arts Council.
