Before Vanishing… – New Theatre – Review

By No More Workhorse on March 5, 2013 • ( 2 Comments )

Before Vanishing is a collection of four short plays by Beckett, consisting of ‘Ohio Impromptu’, ‘Footfalls’, ‘That Time’ and ‘Come and Go’ (and an Irish version of the same, ‘Teacht is Imeacht’). As with many of Beckett’s short plays, they are simple in nature, and largely comprise of bare stages and understated lighting, but it’s the attention to minute detail that really make these pieces come to life.

In ‘Ohio Impromptu’ two identically dressed old men sit at a table, one reading to the other of a lost love. ‘Footfalls’ is probably the best of the four, and is a discussion between a woman and her mother (hidden somewhere in the background), while she slowly paces a rectangle of light projected onto the floor. In ‘That Time’ the face of an old man is illuminated high above the stage, while voices discussing distant memories are played in the background. ‘Come and Go’ is often seen as Beckett’s “perfect” play, and involves three women sitting on a bench, with simple repetitions of movement and variations of text.

I’m of the opinion that the shorter Beckett plays are more difficult than their longer counterparts, and they do require a good deal of concentration! There is a lot of text to follow in three of the four plays, and if your mind wanders for a minute you’re scrambling to catch up! There is great beauty in the text and the settings of the various scenes are often stunning. This is a very stylish production of some of Beckett’s better known playlets, with superb visual imagery and great attention to detail for clothing and lighting, that really adds to the various works.

Mouth on Fire theatre company present Before Vanishing, which runs at the New Theatre until March 16th, with ticket from €12/15. Review was on the preview night, Monday the 04/03/13. Combined the five short plays run to just about an hour and a half, with a fifteen minute interval.

Photos by Futoshi Sakauchi