From the very moment I entered the Drama Barn, the production felt as if it had already begun. The set was intricately crafted, managing to evoke a cluttered feeling as well as having enough space to not draw attention away from the actors. The walls on either side of the stage were plastered with posters from various periods of political uncertainty throughout the 20th century. This aesthetic decision is markedly different from the sets of other adaptations of the play as those typically do not create a sense of any specific time period. A wheelchair was positioned in the centre of the room and while the silhouette suggested that there was a person under the sheet that covered it, the lack of movement made me feel as if it were only a mannequin. The preshow was incredible, led by Nagg and Nell in their corner fort of boxes and rubbish. It gave the audience a taste of the chaos, the sharp delivery, and witty wordplay that was to come. Clov had spontaneous, silent interactions with the audience that contrasted the loud, overwhelming nature of Nagg and Nell.
It was almost a shock when the preshow ended that this was not the first scene in the play and the play was yet to begin. The incredible tension that had been built up with the preshow only increased when Hamm was slowly unwrapped from her place in the wheelchair. Lydia Hughes’ performance as Hamm was beyond skillful. Recognising the difficulty of having limited mobility and relying solely on facial expressions and tone to create as deep of an emotional effect as she did is impressive. Casting a woman to play Hamm is also a notable part of this production as it adds further complexity to the dynamic between Hamm and Clov. At times it begins to feel more like a husband and wife bickering than an adoptive parent and child, or a carer and their patient.
In an interview with the director, Esme Maithialahan, and producer, Morgan Gill, they highlighted that the play’s design as a continuous act set in a single room was part of their draw to produce it. The tighter space of the Drama Barn lends itself well to plays like Endgame with no set changes, helping rather than hindering them. It also added to the claustrophobic energy that the writing seems to encourage through the rapid-fire, occasionally gibberish dialogue with characters frequently shouting or being cut off mid-rant. The soundtrack was beautifully curated with a mix of instrumentals and lyrical songs such as I Don’t Want To Set The World On Fire by The Ink Spots. The incorporation of a record player used by Clov to preface the music added another layer of immersion to the play.
Overall, the play left nothing to be desired. The actors’ chemistry was phenomenal, making the audience almost forget that this was a performance and not reality. Every exchange of dialogue was rapid-fire and never missed a beat, adding to the frenetic, continuous energy of the play with little to no breaks in tension. The ending, while ambiguous, didn’t leave the audience feeling unfulfilled, instead the ambiguity fit perfectly within the confusion of the play and made the play feel self-contained.