Review: Not I by Samuel Beckett

Thank goodness for the post production Q and A. Without it, I would have left the Royal Court utterly bewildered and confused.

Not I, showing for 5 nights, returns to the Royal Court to mark the fortieth anniversary of the premiere of Samuel Beckett’s one-woman piece.

It is unlike anything I have ever seen: time seemed to have been suspended as a disembodied and ghoulish pair of red female lips hover 8 feet above the stage, spewing forth a barely comprehensible stream-of-consciousness monologue.

I learnt, in the Q and A, that the prose was intended to be delivered at the speed of thought; but  this felt like the words were carriages in a steam train whistling past, forgetting to stop at my station.

The voice speaks so fast (in last night’s production Lisa Dwan races through at an apparent record of 8 minutes 40 seconds) that the incoherent babble tumbles out and I strained, unsuccessfully, to decipher individual words. Dwan appears to see this speed as an achievement, however, if Beckett intended this play to have any meaning other than conveying a certain disconcerting anxiety, it may have benefitted the audience for Dwan to slow down.

Having said all that, it was quite a physical achievement (but, bemoaned by my husband, who would have rather been at one, this was not intended to be a sporting event), in order to perform this piece, Dwan had been strapped in a straightjacket, wolford (no less) tights around her head and blindfolded. She claimed, and I don’t doubt it, that she had undertaken hours of yoga and gym work to prepare for the performance. This in itself was impressive: for an actress it is a challenge, and should be applauded. But, it was a challenge to watch and, for me, once was enough.

Not I is showing at the Royal Court Theatre until 25 May 2013 – Only one day left to grab a ticket: http://www.royalcourttheatre.com/whats-on/not-i

Camilla Norton