"Ion Theater's new space, World Stage, on 9th, puts them almost back-to-back with 10th Avenue Theater. A new downtown theater district? World Stage is a very welcoming facility complete with a roomy lobby and a modest-sized theater space with tiered seating providing great sight lines. Their opening offerings are definitely for the serious theater patron. A Tuesday-through- Sunday performance schedule alternates between two Samuel Beckett plays and one Ionesco play. There are a variety of curtain times, varying from 2:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Neither the 21-minute Not I nor Krapp's Last Tape has achieved the popularity of Waiting for Godot or Endgame. Not I is a monologue which opens bleakly as it deals with the premature birth of a child. As staged at Ion, actor Claudio Raygoza, directed by Glenn Paris, is behind a black cloth; only his whitened lips can be seen. He talks with great force. On the other side of the stage, black dressed Celeste Martinez appearing ten feet tall, acknowledges some of the words by limited movement of her arms. The stage, barely lit, enhances the denseness of the script. Raygoza manages a great deal of emotion, given the staging limitations.
Krapp's Last Tape explores old man Krapp (Claudio Raygoza), 69 years old and at the twilight of his life, moving at the speed of an agitated snail. Every movement a difficulty. He is silent for the first minutes, as he arises from a nap and moves from his chair to the front of a desk (the only furniture on the set). He opens a drawer and searches for some potassium. He slowly pulls out a banana, peels it, and devours it. He listens to a 30-year-old tape recording on an old reel-to-reel tape recorder. He reflects on his life and his frustrations.
Raygoza is absolutely brilliant in the role. Krapp's Last Tape, first performed in 1958, was one of Beckett's favorites.
Ion Theater's introduction to their new venue is quite an experience. It is nice to be challenged by works we do not often have the opportunity of seeing.
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