BWW Reviews: Leblanc Upstages Beckett In ENDGAME

Hamm: We're not beginning...to...to...mean something?
Clov: Mean something? You and I mean something?

After giving us "Waiting for Godot" in 2006, artistic director of La Bordee and actor Jacques Leblanc wanted to revisit the world of Beckett for us. Until February 11th, at Theatre de la Bordee in Quebec city, Samuel Beckett's ENDGAME will be playing.

As soon as the curtain is up, we are brought into a dark world - a closed space, a basement, a bunker - where Hamm, an old blind man, injuriates his domestic, Clov. They live their routine arguing about the end of the world in a pure Beckett type of language: "Do you naturally love me? Yes, I love you, naturally."

Lorraine Cote's direction serves Beckett's play perfectly as she puts emphasis on the actual text and punctuation. Comas, periods and semi-colons become very important in the interpretation of the meaning, if meaning you can find. Some may find the play a bit long, but blame it on the text and not the actors. The set and sound designs a wonderful and give support to this morbid world.

Frenette, who plays Clov, is impeccable and straight to the point, but Leblanc's performance in Hamm, is absolutely spectacular. Even with the complexity of the writing, Leblanc manages to give all a master class in interpretation, and then everything starts to mean something.

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Playing until Feb. 11

Théâtre de la Bordée de Québec – FIN DE PARTIE de Samuel Beckett

bordee.qc.ca – 418 694-9721

photo: Nicolas Tondreau