Endgame review – Mathew Horne and Douglas Hodge bring macabre fizz to Beckett

Ustinov Studio, BathAs a pair of wisecracking vaudevillian entertainers, the stars balance the comedy and desolation in Lindsay Posner’s productionThis desolate masterpiece by Samuel Beckett has often been interpreted as post-apocalyptic. Outside is the end of the world with no more sun or nature. Inside the last humans are left standing. Instead of playing master-slave games, Lindsay Posner’s production turns them into desperate entertainers who wisecrack, amuse and perform even in these hopeless circumstances.This theatre describes the play as a “macabre comedy” and that is what is rendered on stage. The blind, seated Hamm (Douglas Hodge, returning to the stage after more than a decade) is not so much a tyrant as an aged thespian, even if he whistles for his limping servant, Clov (Mathew Horne), and consigns his parents to dustbins. He bears elements of Winnie from Happy Days in his whimsy and escape into storytelling. Continue reading...

Comments

Culture

Strictly 2025 ones to watch revealed by Oti Mabuse

Independent

Comments

Similar News

A House of Dynamite review – Kathryn Bigelow’s nuclear endgame thriller is a terrifying, white-knuckle comeback

Culture

Strictly 2025 ones to watch revealed by Oti Mabuse

Frankie Muniz turned down chance to host SNL to meet childhood crush instead

Bill Bailey pays emotional tribute to inspirational mother ahead of BBC Proms

Jimmy Kimmel slams Donald Trump for ‘blaming Democrats’ for death of Charlie Kirk

Great British Sewing Bee announces new host as Sara Pascoe replaced after three years

Molly-Mae Hague responds to backlash over NTA documentary win

Downton Abbey creator brought hit series to an end because of World War II

Mark Hamill nearly turned latest role because of gun violence: ‘It’s one of the worst aspects of American life’

David Bowie’s favourite songs revealed on note in new exhibition

Sydney Sweeney undergoes dramatic Christy Martin transformation in first-look biopic trailer

Henry Cavill dealt devastating blow as injury forces Highlander shoot to delay until 2026

Where was the Downton Abbey finale filmed?

London's biggest theatre to open in Greenwich next year with 3,000 seats

Toyah Willcox: I have used AI but always prefer to ‘pick up a pen and write’

Radical Harmony at the National Gallery: 'you can have just too many dots'

Harry Potter fans ‘dream Voldemort’ actor rules himself out of TV reboot

Where was the Downton Abbey movie filmed?

Scottish star Nina Nesbitt surprises local Kent venue with secret set

Polly Holliday death: Parent Trap and Mrs Doubtfire star dies, aged 88

Mad Men’s Jared Harris reveals ‘horrible’ way cast constantly drank Scotch and smoked

Tosca at Royal Opera: the controversial return of Russian soprano Anna Netrebko

TV legend set to reprise iconic role in one final special episode

Strictly fans rally around Vicky Pattison as she shares pic of training blisters

Sir David Jason to reprise Open All Hours role for 50th anniversary special

Sigourney Weaver says she’s too scared to watch Alien: Earth by herself

Jason Manford denies reports he quit Waterloo Road after one year

Rainn Wilson says axed The Office spinoff would have earned NBC ‘another billion dollars’

Downton Abbey producer hints grand finale film may not spell end for franchise

Amy Dowden speaks out after Molly-Mae Hague’s NTAs win

Country star Garth Brooks to headline British Summer Time 2026 after denying rape allegation

Thousands of Jane Austen superfans descend on city to celebrate beloved author’s birthday

Zara McDermott shares ‘terrifying ordeal’ after nearly being arrested in Thailand

Slow down to view Rembrandt painting, trust urges

Major new music festival announced for city park

Prince Harry vows to help war injured during surprise visit to Ukraine

Downton Abbey fans ‘can’t stop crying’ as finale hits cinemas

Vicky Pattison shares graphic image of her foot following Strictly Come Dancing rehearsals

DC Comics cancels Batman spinoff Red Hood after writer’s posts on Charlie Kirk

Emmys 2025: Stephen Colbert, Sydney Sweeney lead star-studded presenting lineup

Stephen Colbert breaks protocol to open show with urgent address about Charlie Kirk shooting

Stephen King’s ‘unrelentingly bleak and utterly brutal’ new horror movie is finally here

Cillian Murphy dispels Harry Potter casting rumors and wishes ‘good luck’ to whoever takes over role

Henry Cavill injury pushes Highlander remake back

Comedy Central pulls South Park episode mocking Charlie Kirk off air after shooting

Whoopi Goldberg says Bruce Willis ‘guided’ her through fame as she praises Emma Heming

Album reviews: JADE – That’s Showbiz Baby, and Sophie Ellis-Bextor – Perimenopop

The march of The Penguin: How a pulpy Batman spin-off became an awards heavyweight

Hollywood’s boycott of the Israeli film industry is an important turning point

Ed Sheeran: Play review – A musical buffet lacking a signature dish

A play about the revolt of human workers — not machines — gave us the word 'robot'

Ed Sheeran's Play: Can the pop star reclaim his crown?

Spinal Tap: The world's loudest band return with a little help from their famous friends

Anna Netrebko Returns to London, Sharing the Spotlight With Protests

BBC launches three new specialised music stations on DAB+

Garth Brooks to play first UK gig in nearly 30 years as first BST 2026 headliner

First BST 2026 headliner announced as American music legend facing rape lawsuit

Warner Bros Discovery shares surge on buyout reports

For the first time ever, a non-Champagne wins prestigious sparkling wine prize

Jazz head at Kennedy Center is the latest firing at the beleaguered arts institution

Cillian Murphy dispels Harry Potter casting rumors and wishes ‘good luck’ to whoever takes over role