Endgame by Samuel Beckett @ Paradise in the Vault

Blind Elephant bring an exceptional version of Endgame by Samuel Beckett to Edinburgh Fringe. Performed by four young graduates of Tring Park School for the Performing Arts who also make up the company Blind Elephant.

Endgame is the darkly comic tale of a post-apocalyptic world where there is no life outside, just the four inhabitants of a strange household who endure the same banality each day. Ross McCormack is excellent as Clov, the lame servant who struggles to keep some form of order. From his first moment on stage he captivates attention and shows immense focus and incredible depth to his performance. His physical acting and comic timing is impeccable every step of the way. It is surprising that such strength of acting comes from someone so young.

The same can be said of John Pritchard, who plays the wheelchair bound Hamm so convincingly it is hard to believe he is a young actor. His physical and speech mannerisms are excellent and he conveys great comedy and emotion despite the fact he rarely moves throughout the whole performance. Sammy Moore and Jessica Revell as the bin-inhabiting parents Nell and Nagg again provide brilliant comedy and emotion in their short moments on stage and the make-up, though obvious, really adds to the performance.

The acting from all four is faultless, the direction is tight and while it is visually simple – but fantastic – there is much depth and complexity throughout the whole performance.

With this level of focus and intelligence from their debut production, Blind Elephant are surely destined for great things.