On Beckett Reviews
Broadway World- Recommended
"...While I find Beckett's plays often too intensely intellectual for my comprehension, this was not the case with Irwin's seemingly effortless way of donning a bowler hat (or 2 or 3), juggling them until the perfect one is atop his head, and then going on to flop around the stage in his baggy pants and oversize shoes as a quintessential clown while explaining his interpretation of passages reflecting "the noise of life" in Beckett's "Text for Noting," "Watt," "Waiting for Godot," "Endgame," and "The Unnamable." It was an extraordinary evening of watching a master of the stage interpret the life and brilliance of a theatre legend."
CurtainUp- Recommended
"...On Beckett is kind of a rap session interspersed with scenes from the author's plays. A couple are well known (Waiting for Godot is included); many are not. Some of what comes out of Irwin's mouth when he is reciting Watt or a strand from Texts for Nothing is damn near incomprehensible. Which probably means he's delivering it correctly."
On Stage Los Angeles- Highly Recommended
"...Full disclosure! I so loved this show that I started a review in an email to my friend who accompanied me to see this show. Then.. I came here to get into the routine of writing the actual review. I was well into this review when I remembered the first rave in the email. So.. rather than edit and edit.. I'm going to leave both reviews that are somewhat similar and recommend that if you are not familiar with Beckett, that you find Waiting for Godot on line and just scan it for a taste of what the language is like. It can be daunting. That said. Go and be informed, educated and entertained by this humble genius."
KCRW- Highly Recommended
"...While the evening is called "On Beckett," you'll walk out of theater feeling like you know Bill Irwin. You'll see, in snippets, Samuel Beckett through Irwin's eyes and you'll marvel at how this clown reveals entire worlds so quickly with such generous precision."
The TVolution- Recommended
"...Some have disparaged On Beckett as more lecture than theatric experience, and they are not wrong in this. Irwin's monologue speaks to the intellect rather than the heart. But if you admire the works of Beckett you will come away with a wider understanding of his genius and his craft."
Theater Times- Highly Recommended
"...If you live in Los Angeles or plan to be in town some weekend through October 27th, it cannot be stressed enough that you must make time to see On Beckett at the Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City, a new play conceived and performed by Bill Irwin."