By BRUCE DENNILL
First Love / Directed by Qondiswa James / POPArt Theatre, Greenside, Johannesburg
Samuel Beckett’s nihilistic tendencies mean that this play’s protagonist being a tramp who enjoys hanging around in cemeteries feels about right. That the character is endowed with the playwright’s rich eloquence is also no surprise and this language – and actor William Harding’s delivery of it – is at the heart of the appeal of this one-man show with no props other than a single box that functions as a chair, and later as a representation of assorted other furniture.
All the action involved in the script is, essentially, the narrator losing his father and thus access to his accommodation, then meeting a woman and moving in with her (plus some extra no-spoiler details). Beckett makes sure that no-frills arc is rendered consistently compelling through some very clever combinations of perspectives and vocabulary that amuse and bemuse in equal measure as the narrator lurches from unfortunate situation to self-induced hardship, surviving his journey but knowingly making it less comfortable as he goes.
This production, under Qondiswa James’ direction, makes use of Harding’s formidable physical theatre skills, adding a jerkiness in movement and general difficulty in staying upright to the character that makes him seem even more decrepit, eccentric and uncomfortable to watch.
Harding’s performance is a showcase in control and commitment in everything from the crispness of his enunciation to his willingness to wildly stagger into walls and collapse onto the floor in despair in ways that make audience members flinch. His intensity is unflinching, making it possible to trust that the character believes in his own agendas, even as they seem needlessly dark and harsh to many observers.
It’s good that not too many people see the world as Beckett did or his protagonists do (imagine how desperate the world would feel), but it’s equally good that meaninglessness – which every audience member must struggle with at some point – is examined, experienced vicariously, even, as well as it is here. Compact, commanding stuff.
