Group Members: Chi Zhang, Myra Khan, Diana Rodriguez
Acting
The last twenty minutes of the play mainly focused on the dialogue between Clov and Hamm and gave the audience a sense of closure to the “thing” Hamm has mentioned that has been going on throughout the play. I was able to spot a difference in the interpretation of the characters between the play and the actual scene in Beckett’s script of the characters Clov and Hamm. After watching the video and following through the script once again, I felt that Clov is actually a more serious character than portrayed. Whereas in the play we saw, I felt a comical twist from the actor of Clov. During the Q&A session after the play, one of the actors also explained that according to his understanding, during the final monologue after getting no response from Clov, Hamm said “good”, Clov felt a sense of relief as if he has finally been released from his duties. I felt a different vibe from Clov in the video as well as from the written script. The look he gave off during the last few minutes was a bit heartbreaking and it was almost like he didn’t want to leave. As for Hamm, the actor in the play portrayed his last minutes in a less caring manner than the actor in the video. I believe the last few minutes of the play is a time of realization for both Hamm and Clov. They have been threatening to leave and be left throughout the whole play, yet they have never actually done it before. It is from the hesitation Hamm showed, that I believe he should have felt lonely and come to the realization that he shouldn’t have let Clov go. As for Clov, seeing how Hamm acted should he have left, could have shook him and therefore his expression during the last scene can also be interpreted as the struggling face instead of the relieved face. It was interesting seeing the play acted out by different actors with different interpretations; the way actors backed up their interpretations of each character was very meaningful to learn.
-Chi Z.
Both in the Endgame performance and the writing, I felt as if Nagg and Nell were portrayed a little livelier. Especially in the scene where they both wake up and start speaking to each other. Nagg and Nell were reminiscing about when they “crashed on our tandem and lost our shanks.” In the writing, they can be imagine speaking about this heartily at first then as they spoke they became less and less enthusiastic. However, in the performance they were portrayed in way that showed them to be happy all throughout when they were recalling then event. Then after that they became less enthusiastic throughout their talk.
I feel the director did a great job representing the characters in the play through the actors in a way that helps the readers picture the play in greater depth.
-Myra K.
Chi you brought up a good point, the Q&A gave the audience an insight as to what the characters were actually feeling and thinking: “…we were able to see he thoughts as to why she chose to act out Nell the way she did.” The actors really went into their role and it is very interesting that even after the play, they still know what the character is in the play to do or show. This shows that reading the play over and over again, can help you find deeper meanings within the text; also acting it out gives the actors an opportunity to mold the audience’s perspective.
“The Endgame” Analysis (Comparing play to performance)
Both in the Endgame performance and the writing, I felt as if Nagg and Nell were portrayed a little livelier. Especially in the scene where they both wake up and start speaking to each other. Nagg and Nell were reminiscing about when they “crashed on our tandem and lost our shanks.” In the writing, they can be imagine speaking about this heartily at first then as they spoke they became less and less enthusiastic. However, in the performance they were portrayed in way that showed them to be happy all throughout when they were recalling then event. Then after that they became less enthusiastic throughout their talk.
I feel the director did a great job representing the characters in the play through the actors in a way that helps the readers picture the play in greater depth.
-Myra K.
I agree with you on how important the questions and answers session was because it help the audience of the play provide clarity on many different topics and issues in the play. I also agree with Myra about the importance of the directors job and portraying the characters in the way he did, I felt he did an excellent job. However, I wish they had better visuals but their budget was probably limited.