Date: Fri 20-Nov-1998

Publication: Bee

Author: JUDYC

Quick Words:

Hartford-Estelle-Parsons

Full Text:

(rev "Happy Days" @Hartford Stage)

Theatre Review-- "Happy Days" A Rewarding Adventure

(with cut)

By June April

HARTFORD-- It has been said that watching Samuel Beckett's plays is rather

like experiencing a motionless dance. In both the creations of William

Shakespeare and the Irish-born Beckett, rhythm -- the metering of words -- is

the essence of their language. And in Beckett's theatre, pauses of varying

length are punctuated by repetitive verbal motifs.

Inaction is the setting for Happy Days , currently on at Hartford Stage. An

off-center mound of dirt sparsely sprinkled with some weeds is where Winnie

is. Act I finds her buried up to her waist; by Act II, only her head is

visible. Internal passions are transmitted through facial and vocal

expressions.

Many years ago, when the outstanding actor Morris Carnovsky was giving a

workshop, he mesmerized the group by portraying a scene from Shakespeare's

King Lear by only using his facial expressions, never uttering a single word.

The power of the silent characterization left many with tears rolling down our

faces.

That same kind of powerful experience occurred between veteran actors Estelle

Parsons and Frank Raiter last Friday. The dynamic was particularly heightened

in the Hartford Stage production because of the different acting backgrounds

of the two stars.

Estelle Parsons describes herself as a commercial actor, and Frank Raiter

claims the "legitimate" stage as his theatrical-home. Even during the

post-performance talk, the two of them were still having a lively ongoing

debate about some of the motivation of their characters.

There is a "Chaplinesque" quality to Estelle Parson's portrayal of Winnie. No

matter how impossible life may be, Winnie tries to keep her sunny side up.

Maybe that's why Winnie eggs her husband onward through her prattle and

optimistic acceptance.

Happy Days abounds with symbolism. On the mound, within Winnie's reach is a

bag filled with a variety of personal objects: toothbrush and toothpaste,

mirror, nail file, a music box that plays "The Merry Widow Waltz," a hat which

Winnie dons, and a gun. In Act II we see the gun still on the mound, pointed

at Winnie.

Though the play is largely a monologue, Willie's presence and a few utterances

are imperative for the understanding of their relationship. In the first act,

a newspaper Willie is reading in rhythmically shaken.

Directed by Richard Block, with lighting by Robert Wierzel Happy Days is

wrought with feelings and sensitivity, visually and through the music of the

words, and pacing of the passages.

Beckett stands as one of the great intellectual giants in the literary field.

The playwright died shortly before 1990, at age 83. At the end of his life his

work became increasingly "minimalist" and remained ever outspoken politically.

Playing through November 22 Happy Days offers a stimulating evening of

theatre, and a richly rewarding adventure in watching two superb actors at

work.

(For further information call Hartford Stage's box office at 860/527-5151.)