Fragments - Rockaby/Rough for Theatre I/Act Without Words II/Come and Go/Neither

Synopsis

Fragments brings together five little known short plays by the greatest theatre poet since Aeschylus:

Our Review:

21 September 2007

A blind violinist is not unhappy enough to die. An old woman dressed in black rocks herself to oblivion at her window. Two men climb in and out of body bags, prodded by a stick, and pull on the same pair of trousers. Three women in hats sit on a bench and gossip about each other while trying to hold hands “in the old way”.

Welcome to the funny old world of Samuel Beckett, whose substantial collection of short, shard-like plays has been raided by Peter Brook in a co-production, Fragments, between Brook’s own Theatre des Bouffes du Nord in Paris and the Young Vic.

Brook has made a point of denying that Beckett is merely a miserable old pessimist, but only a fool would have ever claimed that he was anyway. What you certainly take from this short evening of five pieces performed by three actors – Kathryn Hunter, Marcello Magni and Jos Houben - – in just one hour’s playing time is a sense of wonder at the universe.

Brook pays due re...

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Latest User Review

Gareth James - 4 October 2007:

I didn't get much out of Kathryn Hunter's very short second solo piece, but the other four were terrific interpretations of Beckett, acted with perfection. A short but delightful evening....

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