Dual Consciences: The Meta-theatrical and the Super-real in Samuel Beckett’s Krapp’s Last Tape and Not I
15 February 2008
(EXCERPT)
The first theatrical element a reader of Beckett’s plays will encounter is the stage directions, which set the stage for the play to follow. In Beckett’s plays, these tend to be extremely detailed, and their complexity and specificity seem to detract from their necessity of being staged. For example, the first specification of Krapp’s Last Tape states: "A late evening in the future" (Beckett 215). However, without elaborate or unusual scenery (which, as is later indicated, is neither necessary nor appropriate), there is nothing to show this futuristic setting until, and if, it becomes evident within the context of the action onstage. The function of stage directions is to explain what must appear on the stage; therefore, if they become difficult, or even impossible to execute, we must wonder if it compromises their functionality. Not I relies very heavily on its visual representation on the stage, and when one thinks of the technical aspects involved in perfecting the unorthodox setup, it seems a daunting task: “Stage in darkness but for MOUTH, upstage audience right, about 8 feet above stage level, faintly lit from close-up and below, rest of face in shadow. Invisible microphone” (Beckett 376). When reading these stage directions, it is difficult to visualize how they will manifest themselves on a physical stage; by the same token, when watching a live production, some of these instructions will invariably be lost. This dilemma subtly separates what we see on stage from what is written on the page, an issue in Beckett’s dramatic works which we will see again.
Further complicating the issue is the apparent disappearance of the theatrical “4th Wall”. Indeed, the audience watching Not I is left to wonder if there ever was one to begin with when there doesn’t even appear to be a stage, and members of Krapp’s audience cannot help but wonder what lies in the darkness surrounding his spot lit desk, and couldn’t be much surprised if it were merely the wings. In this aspect, the visual qualities of Not I are striking, let alone unusual, and Jonathan Kalb’s assertion that the static quality of this “meticulously sculpted tableau” allows the audience “to meditate on its metaphoric significance while a flow of words emanates from the stage, guiding meditation” is particularly poignant. As static images and meditation are not qualities traditionally associated with theatre, Beckett’s plays are highly meta-theatrical in their consciousness of their own form. In challenging conventional definitions of theatre, Beckett succeeds in anticipating performance art, and even multimedia performance pieces.
The rigidity of Beckett's stage directions and the resulting confinement of lit stage space beg cooperation from the actor and director, blurring further the line between a play on the page and a play on the stage. states: “A late evening in the future” (Beckett 215).
(EXCERPT)
The first theatrical element a reader of Beckett’s plays will encounter is the stage directions, which set the stage for the play to follow. In Beckett’s plays, these tend to be extremely detailed, and their complexity and specificity seem to detract from their necessity of being staged. For example, the first specification of Krapp’s Last Tape states: "A late evening in the future" (Beckett 215). However, without elaborate or unusual scenery (which, as is later indicated, is neither necessary nor appropriate), there is nothing to show this futuristic setting until, and if, it becomes evident within the context of the action onstage. The function of stage directions is to explain what must appear on the stage; therefore, if they become difficult, or even impossible to execute, we must wonder if it compromises their functionality. Not I relies very heavily on its visual representation on the stage, and when one thinks of the technical aspects involved in perfecting the unorthodox setup, it seems a daunting task: “Stage in darkness but for MOUTH, upstage audience right, about 8 feet above stage level, faintly lit from close-up and below, rest of face in shadow. Invisible microphone” (Beckett 376). When reading these stage directions, it is difficult to visualize how they will manifest themselves on a physical stage; by the same token, when watching a live production, some of these instructions will invariably be lost. This dilemma subtly separates what we see on stage from what is written on the page, an issue in Beckett’s dramatic works which we will see again.
Further complicating the issue is the apparent disappearance of the theatrical “4th Wall”. Indeed, the audience watching Not I is left to wonder if there ever was one to begin with when there doesn’t even appear to be a stage, and members of Krapp’s audience cannot help but wonder what lies in the darkness surrounding his spot lit desk, and couldn’t be much surprised if it were merely the wings. In this aspect, the visual qualities of Not I are striking, let alone unusual, and Jonathan Kalb’s assertion that the static quality of this “meticulously sculpted tableau” allows the audience “to meditate on its metaphoric significance while a flow of words emanates from the stage, guiding meditation” is particularly poignant. As static images and meditation are not qualities traditionally associated with theatre, Beckett’s plays are highly meta-theatrical in their consciousness of their own form. In challenging conventional definitions of theatre, Beckett succeeds in anticipating performance art, and even multimedia performance pieces.
The rigidity of Beckett's stage directions and the resulting confinement of lit stage space beg cooperation from the actor and director, blurring further the line between a play on the page and a play on the stage. states: “A late evening in the future” (Beckett 215).
