Samuel Beckett: Avant-garde playwright, Depressed Nobel Prize winnerpoet and… gritty TV detective?
Unfortunately, not at all, but he had the makings of a great actor, at least as summarized by Chicago co-founder playwright Danny Thompson. Theatre Oobleck.
Thirty-five years after Beckett’s death, Thompson The lost complete works of Samuel Beckett were found in a Paris trash can in an envelope (partially burned) with a note reading “Never perform this. Never. Never. Never! Or I’ll sue you! I’ll sue you from the grave!”–Footage of melancholic geniuses Rosa Weim and Daniel Schmidt wandering Berlin in 1969 is repurposed for opening credits set in the non-existent ’70s. Quinn Martin Police procedure.
The title sequence captures the era well, from its jazzy graphics to the inclusion of supporting characters like Andre the Giant, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Jean “Huggy Bear” Cocteau (did you know that in real life, Beckett drove a young Andre the Giant to school?).
Thompson imitates Pat Williams’ theme, San Francisco streets And he named the fictional pilot episode after a collection of Beckett’s short stories.
He also jokingly notes that the DVD release of the first, only, and again completely non-existent season has been delayed by the Beckett Foundation. What a shame.
Related Content:
Watch Samuel Beckett walk the streets of Berlin like a boss (1969)
Books that Samuel Beckett read and really liked (1941-1956)
Listen to Samuel Beckett’s avant-garde radio dramas: Everything Falls Down, embers,others
An animated introduction to absurdist playwright, novelist and poet Samuel Beckett
When Samuel Beckett drove a young Andre the Giant to school: A true story
Ayun Halliday She is a writer, illustrator, and head primatologist at East Village Inkyzin. Follow her at Ayun Halliday
