Venue: Wharf 1 Sydney Theatre Company (Walsh Bay NSW), May 5 – Jun 15, 2025
Playwright: Samuel Beckett
Director: Nick Schlieper, Pamela Rabe
Cast: Markus Hamilton, Pamela Rabe
Images by Brett Boardman
Theatre review
Winnie is submerged up to her waist, living in a state of constant suspension. The paralysis stems from circumstance, although it is never clear why or how Winnie finds herself thus. There appears nothing much to live for, yet she strives for optimism, in Samuel Beckett’s Happy Days, a work that could be considered allegorical for any number of things, although there is no mistaking its ruminations about the human condition.
Direction by Nick Schlieper and Pamela Rabe embraces wholeheartedly the central abstraction of the piece. Reluctant to make obvious gestures that would provide convenient indications about the meanings of Happy Days, the audience is left to its own devices. The experience is often confounding. The extent to which individuals can engage, or indeed feel alienated, likely depends on one’s own constitution and temperament. Even if it leaves us cold, there is no questioning the integrity of this interpretation of Beckett’s 1961 masterpiece.
Schlieper’s set and lighting design for the production, although minimalist in approach, convey a certain grandeur. There is a stillness being rendered that is key to the very essence of Happy Days, but we are always cognisant of a much wider context. Although the play seems a lot to be about Winnie’s isolation, Schlieper reminds us of the greater world that exists, beyond the confines of her monologue. Costumes by Mel Page talk of a faded glory, and Stefan Gregory’s restrained sound design becomes prominent in conclusion moments, to imbue a dramatic crescendo to the piece.
Rabe performs the part of Winnie with admirable gusto, impressive with the intricacy of her textual analysis. The laconic Willie is played by Markus Hamilton who brings a strong presence, to his depiction of a secondary character. The pair embody a mysterious world that is often impenetrable, but we never doubt the honesty they bring to their parts.
It is the stasis in Happy Days that should scare us. Death will surely come, and to deny it is foolish. To sit around waiting for the inevitable, is worse.
Suzy Goes See 