Happy Days (Melbourne Theatre Company) ★★★★1/2

Written by Samuel Beckett. Melbourne Theatre Company. 1 May – 10 June, 2023.

There seems to be a natural melding of elements in Melbourne Theatre Company’s production of Samuel Beckett’s 1961 classic, Happy Days. As if somewhere between Judith Lucy’s life as a comedian and Beckett’s existential outlook the show has landed in a sweet-spot of despair, determination, and humour. 

Winnie (Lucy) is stuck in body, but not in spirit. She may be buried up to her waist in immovable rock, but she isn’t letting that get her down, oh no. Her static day is full of moments and rituals, rules she’s established to help pass the time. Her trusty black bag full of items helps her stay groomed and presentable. Her husband, Willie (Hayden Spencer), makes for tolerable company. Winnie will grab hold of any brightness to declare that today will be a “happy day”.

Oh course, this is Samuel Beckett so nothing here is to be taken literally. Winnie’s drive for positivity in the face of destitution is both admirable and disturbing. Behind the smile is a malignant, creeping fear – it’s the kind of emotional double-speak a comedian like Lucy excels at. After all, who can stare into the abyss and still laugh quite like a stand up comic? Lucy peels back the thin veneer between comedy and tragedy to create a Winnie of remarkable depth and nuance. Every line is precise, each wince is an earthquake. Instead of resting on Lucy’s stock-in-trade dry wit, director Petra Kalive draws out a seam of self-doubt and the vulnerability of age.

One thing that shone through here is the very modern commentary on climate change. Winnie’s choice to politely ignore the changing face of the arid world around her is damning. In pretending that nothing has changed, and life can go on as normal, Winnie seals her own fate. The incessant klaxon, a bell to signal waking and sleeping hours from an unseen controller, is a warning of doom that goes unheeded.

Eugyeene Teh’s set is well executed and almost fiercely three-dimensional, but perhaps too literal. It’s brought to life through the subtle work of J David Franzke’s sound and Paul Kim’s lighting, which are unobtrusive but keep this stationary work from feeling stagnant. I was also a little confused by the costuming choices. Lucy’s Winnie wears a leather bodice that is both visually flat and overly sexual for the character. A matching hat, and black bag continue the flat look that seems out of keeping with Winnie’s personality. But these quibbles are more personal preference than failures.

This production has drawn nothing but high praise and it’s easy to see why. It is a shame this wasn’t a co-production that would tour other cities. Judith Lucy proves she has the dramatic and theatrical chops to shine in what is essentially an epic, existential monologue. Beckett can, in lesser hands, be a slog to get through, but this production hits the right notes. Winnie, it’s time to sing your song!