Catastrophe (play)

Catastrophe is a short play by Samuel Beckett, written in 1982. Unique in the Beckett canon, it is one of the only plays to deal with a political theme and (arguably) holds the title of Beckett's most optimistic work. It was dedicated to then imprisoned Czech reformer and playwright, Václav Havel.

Interpretation

The play is (nominally) an allegory on the power of totalitariansim and the struggle to oppose it. The protagonist represents people ruled by dictators (the director and his aide). By "tweak him until his clothing and posture project the required image of pitiful dejectedness"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0243166/, they exert their control over the silenced figure. However, at the end of the play, the protagonist rebels by looking up into the audience, killing the canned applause. By defying the director, the protagonist (and by extension "the people") ends his dictatorship.

Related Topics:
Allegory - Totalitarian

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It is interesting to note that, after the fall of the communist government in Czechoslovakia, crowds famously chanted "Godot has arrived!" as a rallying cry, in reference to Beckett's most famous play. Havel himself would later make allusions to the importance of Beckett's work in terms of his struggle, and his work: "In a word, I thought that time was mine. I had made a serious mistake. The world, being and history are governed by their own time, on which we can intervene creatively but which no one can ever dominate."

Related Topics:
Communist - Czechoslovakia - Godot

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Beckett on Film

A filmed version of Catastrophe was directed by David Mamet for the Beckett on Film project. It starred playwright and Beckett enthusiast Harold Pinter as the director, and featured the last on camera appearance of famed British actor, John Gielgud as the protagonist (he would die only a few weeks later). This version has been somewhat contreversial, as Mamet chose to film it as a realist piece: the scene takes place in an actual theate, and the principles are dressed as a director and his assistant might look. Critics have argued that this interpretation takes away from the tyranical theme of the play.

Related Topics:
David Mamet - Beckett on Film - Harold Pinter - British - Actor - John Gielgud

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