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ED2013 4/5 Reviews ED2013 Theatre Reviews
I’ll Go On (Edinburgh International Festival)
By Ivan Kroupin | Published on Saturday 31 August 2013
“You must go on, I can’t go on, I’ll go on”. The immortal closing words of ‘The Unnamable’ and the source of the title of this adaptation of Beckett’s Trilogy’ for the stage. Adapted and performed by renowned Beckett interpreter and expert Barry McGovern, each novel is represented by an excerpt, read as a monologue. McGovern’s vast expertise is obvious; the performance is technically consummate and feels very true to the original works. Wherein lies its one flaw: The novels’ incessant narration, adapted for theatre in such unadulterated form feels… ill-fitting. The evocative, engrossing power of Beckett’s novels cannot but be limited by such abridged instantiation, though it is hard to imagine a stronger effort than ‘I’ll Go On’.
Royal Lyceum Theatre, 26, 28, and 30 Aug, 9.00pm.
tw rating 4/5 | [Ivan Kroupin]
