Happy Days presented by WSC Avant Bard at Artisphere

Happy Days

Artisphere
1101 Wilson Blvd Arlington

WSC will begin the season with a return to the inimitable world of Samuel Beckett with a 50th anniversary production of his masterpiece Happy Days. Though some critics feel that Happy Days is Beckett's most pessimistic play, it is in many ways an exposition of the resourcefulness of the human spirit in the face of hopelessness.

Presented by WSC Avant Bard

Thru - Sep 25, 2011

Price: $35

Show Type: Comedy/Drama

Running Time: 1 hr, 40 mins with 1 intermission

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Happy Days Reviews

Average Rating based on 4 reviews

Highly Recommended
Recommended
Somewhat Recommended
Not Recommended

Washington Post - Somewhat Recommended

:...It’s a hard nut, this play, and Carrasquillo and Taylor don’t quite crack it all the way. (Maybe no one does.) Beckett’s was the art of removal — eliminate plot, reduce character, fracture language, strip down the stage picture, etc. — and it can be difficult to hang with the terse remains minute by minute, listening for the philosophical clues. And yet this is a fine whirl at Beckett’s monument: smartly composed and unexpectedly gallant."

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- Nelson Pressley

Washington City Paper - Recommended

"...This Rorschach-test quality alone would make the play worth keeping in circulation. Rigorous and severe, this production is as easy to admire as it is difficult to love. Which probably means they got it right."

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- Chris Klimek

MD Theatre Guide - Highly Recommended

"...The Black Box Theatre is the perfect space for such an intimate performance. While the plotline may be a bit mundane, Mr. Carrasquillo’s fresh approach to Happy Days, complete with a billboard-esque blue sky and clouds backdrop, is a lovely way to celebrate Beckett’s 50th anniversary production."

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- Teal Ruland

DCTheatreScene - Highly Recommended

An ill-conceived production of such a sad little tale could easily turn to mud, as several inevitably have in the 50 years since the play’s debut. But under the canny, probing touch of director Jose Carrasquillo, and with a wonderfully nuanced and funny performance from Taylor, the play blossoms into a deeply emotional tale about aging, dreaming, and what it means to compromise.

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- Hunter Styles

Happy Days presented by WSC Avant Bard at Artisphere

Happy Days

Happy Days Reviews

Washington Post - Somewhat Recommended

Washington City Paper - Recommended

MD Theatre Guide - Highly Recommended

DCTheatreScene - Highly Recommended

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