The North Coast times-eagle., December 10, 1982, Page 5, Image 5

T H E N O R T H C O A S T T I M E S E A G L E , F R ID A Y . 10 D E C E M B E R 1982______________________________________________________
NOTES ON ‘KRAPP’S
LAST TAPE’ AND'THE
RAILROAD WOMEN’
/
Page 5
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PERFORM ED AT THE W H A LE’S
TALE IN NEW PORT, OREGON,
DECEMBER 2 ,1 9 8 2
by M
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M ic h a e l M a r s h , N e w p o rt p o e t, w r i t e r , a n d an
e d ito r of T he G ilm o re G a z e tte , h a s m a d e good
h i s t h r e a t to w r i t e a r e v i e w o f th e K lo o c h y
T h e a t e r 's p r o d u c t i o n o f tw o o n e - a c t p l a y s ,
" K r a p p 's L a s t T a p e " b y S a m u e l B e c k e t t , a n d
" T h e R a i l r o a d W o m e n " b y H e le n R a t c l i f f e . H e le n
P a t t i , f o u n d e r o f th e t h e a t e r g r o u p in C a n n o n
B e a c h a n d p r o d u c e r o f th e p l a y s , c o s t a r r e d
w ith I s a H e s s e l a n d A n n ie T r a c y in " R a i l ­
r o a d W o m e n ," a n d M i c h a e l P a u l M c C u s k e r
w a s " K r a p p ." P a t E g a n - P o lic e w as d i r e c to r .
T h e p r o d u c t i o n w a s on t o u r l a s t w e e k w h e n it
p l a y e d in N e w p o r t a t t h e W h a l e 's T a l e R e s t a u ­
r a n t , w h e r e M r. M a r s h w r o te h is r e v ie w .
T h e W h a l e 's T a l e is c r o w d e d , a l m o s t to o
c ro w d e d f o r c o m f o r t, a n d a t tim e s lik e th is I
w i s h J . w o u l d n 't c a r r y h e r , 3 5 7 - m a g n u m in
h e r p u r s e . I t 's to o m u c h o f a p i e c e a n d to o
b u lk y f o r a n y k i n d o f i n s i d e w o r k . H a v e to
g iv e th e c o p s c r e d i t f o r a d o p ti n g t h e .3 8 s n u b -
n o se w ay b a c k w hen.
T h e r e ’s a r a i s e d a r e a in o n e c o r n e r w ith
f u r n i t u r e / p r o p s , a n d n o w M ic h a e l M c C u s k e r .
M c C u s k e r b e g i n s m e s s i n g a r o u n d , f id d l i n g ,
a s i f h e w a s u n d e c i d e d w h e n to b e g in . E a t i n g a
b a n a n a a n d t h r o w i n g th e p e e l on th e f l o o r , p i c k ­
in g it u p , f u m b l i n g w ith a d e s k , a n d o n . H e p i c k s
u p a s t e n o g r a p h e r 's n o t e p a d a n d f u m b l e s w ith
it a s o n ly a j o u r n a l i s t w ith o u t a p e n w i l l d o .
M c C u s k e r a s K r a p p ( o r a s M c C u s k e r ) b e g in s
s o m e t h i n g o f a d i s g r u n t l e d s i n g u l a r m o n o lo g u e ,
s o m e w h a t s h o r t : h e f u m b l e s a g a i n ( f u m b lin g
w ith a r e e l - t o - r e e l t a p e r e c o r d e r , c i r c a 1 9 5 0 s ),
a n d h e a n d th e a u d i e n c e b e g i n to l i s t e n to a
ta p e .
" M o t h e r a t r e s t a t l a s t , " s a y s M c C u s k e r 's
r e c o r d e d v o ic e . B e c k e tt by w ay of C a m u s . "T h e
b la c k b a ll. . . ," th e ta p e c o n tin u e s an d B e c k e tt
a s u n r e a s o n in g a s h e is , ta k e s th e s e t, e x c e p t
M c C u s k e r c a n 't h e l p a d - l i b b i n g ( " S h o u ld h a v e
g o t a c a s s e t t e . " ), n o t u n c o m m o n f o r w r i t e r s
m a s q u e ra d in g as a c to r s .
7
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K r a p p 's n a m e ( p r o n o u n c e d w ith a s h o r t 'a ' )
is o b v io u s ly in te n tio n a l a n d B e c k e tt " liv e "
p e r f o r m e d is e n o u g h to m a k e o n e r e g r e t a
d i s e a s e d l i v e r . I d o n 't b e l i e v e a n y o n e h a s b o t h ­
e r e d to a c c u s e B e c k e t t o f b e in g e n t e r t a i n i n g .
M c C u s k e r 's r o l e a s a n a c t o r i s m o r e i n t e r ­
e s t i n g t h a n th e c h a r a c t e r h e p l a y s , a lt h o u g h h e
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K r a p p f i n i s h e s a n d e x i t s w h ile I 'm s c r i b ­
b lin g n o t e s . I 'v e m i s s e d t h e e n d . H a v in g r e a d
B e c k e t t I d o n ’t f e e l a s if I 'v e b e e n d e n i e d m u c h .
A s h o rt b re a k and r e a r ra n g e m e n t of s c e n e ry
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in g o n n o th in g i m p o r t a n t n o w " a n d " j u s t d e a l
w ith th e t i m e c r e e p i n g a lo n g lik e c i g a r s m o k e
a c r o s s a t a b l e t o p " , a n d I k n o w I 'm in t r o u b l e .
" R a ilr o a d W o m en " is e x c e lle n t a n d I w o n d e r
w h y w o m e n h a t e t h e i r d a u g h t e r s , i s it s o s i m p l e
t h a t t h e y s e e t h e m s e l v e s a s tw e n ty y e a r s y o u n g e r ?
I n c r e d i b l y fu n n y l i n e s ( a b o u t a m a n w ith w a r t s ,
s a l t a n d p e p p e r s h a k e r s , e t c . ) a r e s p o k e n w ith
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T u e s d a y th ro u g h S a tu r d a y , 1 0 - 5