Before there was Oscar the Grouch there were Nell and Nagg, supporting characters in Samuel Beckett's 1957 dark comedy, Endgame. The bitterly married couple live in garbage cans, adjacent to the room where blind Hamm and his friend/nemesis Clov spend their waking hours.
That's the premise of Samuel Beckett's second-most famous play, which receives a staging by Denver's Germinal Stage, Feb. 6-March 8, opening Feb. 13.
Other works by Beckett include Waiting For Godot, Happy Days and Krapp's Last Tape.
Starring in the show are Ed Baierline (Hamm) and Michael Shalhoub (Clov), John Seifert (Nagg) and Laura Booze (Nell), with Stephen R. Kramer directing and designing.
Asked about the production, actor Baierline told Playbill On-Line (Feb. 9), "We haven't worried too much about what the play is about. With Beckett, what you see is what you get. Obviously, it's about endings, human relationships, dying.. But I think we've concentrated mostly on the "game" aspect of it. It's like a lot of chess moves in the endgame; they're pretty much meaningless moves but you've got to do them anyway to get the game over with. The strategies Hamm and Clov use to pass the time, plus their very loving relationship." For tickets ($11.75-$13.75) and information on Endgame at Germinal Stage Denver, 2450 West 44th Ave., call (303) 455-7108, or check their website at http://www2.privatei.com/~gsden.
Following Endgame at GSD will be Alan Bennett's play, Kafka's Dick (April 10), and Jerome Kilty's Dear Liar (June 12).
-- By David Lefkowitz
