Endgame Review

I was really excited to see Endgame. To be honest, seeing pictures of the set online before going made me really interested in the play. I thought it was going to be very creative (which it was), but seeing the garbage bags, the bland, limited furniture, and trash around the stage made me curious as to what the play was about.

When the play started, I was really thrown off guard by the music. It made for a very tense and dramatic entrance, which I would later find out, carried throughout the duration of the play. That being said, one thing that really stood out to me about the play was how capable the actors on stage were able to create tension, as well as deep emotions for one another. Although they wanted to be away from one another, they all had no choice but to rely on one another to survive and for companionship. This was especially evident when Nell died, and Nagg was left helpless; when his wife died, and his son stopped acknowledging him, it left him, and Hamm completely alone.

My favorite part of the play was Nell’s performance. After her one short part, I wanted to see more of her, as she was the one character who was still in touch with her natural emotions. We could instantly tell that she was full of love and sadness, and that she still cared for her family tremendously.  This made it especially hard to watch when she asked her husband, “Do you have anything else to say to me?” and he went on to telling a useless story, instead of what she wanted to hear.

Obviously, her character was completely different than that of Hamm’s. While she was in touch with her emotions and easily able to express them, he was not. Hamm was verbally abusive to Clove, the one person that he relied so much on. Instead of treating him with kindness, he was nasty. I believe he did this because he wanted not only to be in control, but because he did not want Clove to leave him. If he scared him enough, Clove would stay, but of he allowed him to have independence and know that he was of value, he could easily leave Hamm, leaving him helpless.

I believe the topic of relationships, and the ultimate end of life, were the two main themes in this play. While they are sometimes difficult themes to fully express, I believe this play did an excellent job. This play clearly showed the reliance one person will ultimately have on another, and how important having others in your life is. I believe this is why I enjoyed the play so much. It dealt with complicated and difficult problems, some that people do not generally like to think or talk about. It brought them to light, in an unusual way, and for this reason, I believe every person should see Endgame at some point in their life. It is important theater that expresses ideas and emotions that are not foreign to people, but that are not normally expressed, even though they should be.