Happy Days turned 60 in 2021. Why do you think we're still drawn to telling this story?
Happy Days follows a woman, Winnie, who is stuck in a mound up to her waist. By the second act, it's up to her neck. She is prattling away about her life and her memories and her love. But at the same time, she's talking to her husband, who's free to move around, but chooses not to.
It's this incredible investigation of life and particularly, the end of life. It's funny and it's deep. It asks some really difficult questions about relationships, ageing and mobility and our desire to want to keep happy and keep upbeat no matter our circumstances.
But because Beckett's so economical in his language, the audience have this incredible opportunity to witness this story and create their own meaning from it. It's been written about by thousands of academics over the last 50 years. And each of them has taken something very different from it. That’s the power of this play right now.
Beckett is interrogating something that is timeless – it's impossible to resolve. And because he hasn't set or located it anywhere specific, it continues to resonate in a whole bunch of different ways and can speak to different cultures and generations of people.
Judith Lucy as Winnie in Happy Days. Photo: Pia Johnson
What’s unique about this production of Happy Days?
What’s unique about this production is we have Judith Lucy in the role of Winnie, and she brings all her extraordinariness to the role. Judith is a beautiful actor and I don't think many people know that. She brings all her history and experience as a comedian, which just sits there under the surface of her performance. She has an incredible sense of timing; it is precise and technically proficient. She also brings a deep understanding of where Winnie is coming from. During early rehearsals there were times where I said, ‘I'm just not sure what this is about’. But Judith was so clear in her understanding and perspective of Winnie. That clarity shines through.
How do you approach directing a character that's buried in a mound for the whole play?
You’re right. Winnie is buried up to her waist for the first 60 minutes and then up to her neck for the last 30 minutes of the show. And I am used to a lot of movement onstage. But what's incredible about this production is that because any movement is so focused, it reads very loudly in the space. For example, we were just playing with the movement of a finger, and how expressive that movement can be. I've been relishing finding ways into the text through movement. We’ve been doing this by exploring the text through the body and investigating various dynamics of movement. When we return to the restriction of the mound, this imaginative work feeds the still image in surprising ways. I worked with Movement Consultant Xanthe Beesley on the work to help us find safe ways for Judith to stand still for 90 minutes, while also honoring and helping Judith and I interpret the incredible amount of gestural and stage directions in the play.
Director Petra Kalive and Movement Consultant Xanthe Beesley in rehearsals for Happy Days. Photo: Charlie Kinross
What do you think audiences will relate to most in the show?
It’s hard to know what is going to read most strongly in the work, because Beckett’s text is so layered. In the rehearsal process, we have arrived at the conclusion that this is ultimately about a relationship between a co-dependent couple. One uses chatter to stave facing the reality of the situation and the other is resigned to silence. The mound between them symbolises their growing distance. Why has that mound grown? There are multiple interpretations: a traumatic event in Winnie’s past, an indiscretion or betrayal between Winnie and Willie early in their courtship, the fundamental differences in experience between men and women. Whatever it is, Winnie’s refusal to accept her dire situation while it grows around her is something I think we can all relate to.
Published on 11 May 2023
