Bill Irwin has utilized his many gifts as a performer to illuminate his love letter to Samuel Beckett, On Beckett, which has just opened at the Kirk Douglas after runs in San Francisco, New York, and Seattle. The show, which he put together himself, is a tour de force enterprise in which he talks directly to the audience, then recites from Beckett, then does a bit of clowning and miming, only to address the audience again with much sincerity and fervor. Irwin believes Beckett is every bit as great and immortal as Shakespeare, and fights with all his might to get us to agree. Irwin is, of course, a Beckett expert. He has been in numerous productions of Waiting for Godot, including the 1988 Mike Nichols’ production starring Steve Martin and Robin Williams. He has also performed in Endgame and Texts for Nothing. The latter work by Beckett was published in 1950 and consisted of brief prose passages. Irwin confides that he was touched deeply by the book and thinks of it as gospel even today. In On Beckett, Irwin acts out three texts (#1, #9 and #11), using voice inflection, body language, and facial expression to bring them to life in near-miraculous fashion. Irwin also recites passages from two novels by Beckett—“The Unnamable” and “Watt”—to prove what a great thinker he was, a genius, really. You don’t have to agree with Irwin to enjoy his labor-of-love solo show (which runs an hour and a half without an intermission). He knows that he has to entertain as well as pontificate. That’s when he unpacks the tools of his clowning trade—baggy pants, cane, floppy shoes, derby hats—and does some shticks that make us chuckle and laugh. Irwin’s sweet comic persona and skill at slapstick match his well-thought-out, heartfelt beliefs about Beckett’s importance as a writer. The combination of playfulness and passion is a winning one.
