As my friends, and regular listeners to the podcast know — I love Samuel Beckett.

[Pro-tip: produce a Beckett show off-off-Broadway, or anything even related to his work, and Go See a Show! will be there if at all possible.]

All That Fall, one of the master’s radio plays, is seldom-produced, and one that I’d actually never heard. So when I saw that Trevor Nunn‘s production from the Jermyn Street Theatre in London would be coming to 59E59, even though it’s not technically off-off-Broadway…well, I had to go and see what was up.

And notice I said “see” what was up, because even though the Beckett estate keeps a tight reign on productions of his works, they’ve permitted the folks behind this production to stage it live — almost like you’re watching a live recording of the radio play, but with some light, simple, highly effective choreography.

Listen in as (much of) the cast & I discuss watching radio drama (something that’s ubiquitous for our English-speaking friends across the Atlantic, but not too prevalent Stateside), Beckett as road-movie, the destruction of great classical plays by modern concepts, where you find the laughter in the bleak, and what it’s like playing Beckett for the first time.

“You gotta laugh at it all. Otherwise, it would be terrible.”

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Richard Darbourne Ltd., Jermyn Street Theatre in association with Gene David Kirk presents
All That Fall

By SAMUEL BECKETT
Directed by TREVOR NUNN

EILEEN ATKINS and MICHAEL GAMBON with BILLY CARTER, RUAIRI CONAGHAN, TREVOR COOPER, CATHERINE CUSACK, FRANK GRIMES, and JAMES HAYES

thru December 8, 2013
Tue @ 7pm, Wed @ 2pm & 7pm, Thu @ 7pm, Fri @ 8pm, Sat @ 2pm & 8pm, Sun @ 3pm

59E59
59 E. 59th Street
Manhattan

photos by Carol Rosegg