How It Is (Part 2), The Coronet Theatre
Image credit: Clare Keogh
You may recall Gare St Lazare Ireland’s How It Is (Part 1). Performed at The Coronet Theatre in 2018, the company’s abstract, musical take on Samuel Beckett’s final full-length novel saw an unnamed narrator wade through a dark and murky landscape recounting his life’s story before meeting a fellow traveller, Pim.
As the title suggests, (Part 1) was the first instalment of the company’s six-year study of Beckett’s 1961 text, which was originally published in French as Comment c’est and is the Irish writer’s exploration of the essence of human relations.
After a four-year wait, two of which were because of the pandemic, Gare St Lazare Ireland returns to the Notting Hill venue this spring with the second part of the trilogy, which sees the unnamed narrator and Pim resort to violence to make sense of their predicament.
Judy Hegarty-Lovett, who has over 20 years’ experience exploring the works of Beckett, again directs and designs the production, which stars co-artistic director of the company and fellow Beckett specialist Conor Lovett, and Stephen Dillane, who also starred in (Part 1).
Also on stage and fundamental to the telling of the story is the 14-strong Irish Gamelan Orchestra, who perform a score by Tony-nominated composer and sound designer Mel Mercier on a range of traditional Javanese percussion instruments.
The production has already received acclaim in Ireland, including a Best Director nomination for Hegarty-Lovett at The Irish Times Irish Theatre Awards.
The whole trilogy was filmed for the Dublin Theatre Festival in 2021, in collaboration with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, but this rare opportunity to see score and narration meld live on stage is one for Beckett fans to prioritise.
As the title suggests, (Part 1) was the first instalment of the company’s six-year study of Beckett’s 1961 text, which was originally published in French as Comment c’est and is the Irish writer’s exploration of the essence of human relations.
After a four-year wait, two of which were because of the pandemic, Gare St Lazare Ireland returns to the Notting Hill venue this spring with the second part of the trilogy, which sees the unnamed narrator and Pim resort to violence to make sense of their predicament.
Judy Hegarty-Lovett, who has over 20 years’ experience exploring the works of Beckett, again directs and designs the production, which stars co-artistic director of the company and fellow Beckett specialist Conor Lovett, and Stephen Dillane, who also starred in (Part 1).
Also on stage and fundamental to the telling of the story is the 14-strong Irish Gamelan Orchestra, who perform a score by Tony-nominated composer and sound designer Mel Mercier on a range of traditional Javanese percussion instruments.
The production has already received acclaim in Ireland, including a Best Director nomination for Hegarty-Lovett at The Irish Times Irish Theatre Awards.
The whole trilogy was filmed for the Dublin Theatre Festival in 2021, in collaboration with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, but this rare opportunity to see score and narration meld live on stage is one for Beckett fans to prioritise.
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| What | How It Is (Part 2), The Coronet Theatre |
| Where | The Coronet Theatre, Print Room, 103 Notting Hill Gate, London, W11 3LB | MAP |
| Nearest tube | Notting Hill Gate (underground) |
| When |
20 Apr 22 – 07 May 22, 7:30 PM – 9:30 PM |
| Price | £20 - £40 |
| Website | Click here for more information and to book |