Last weekend saw the first staging of Vain Reasonings, an evening of short plays by the author of Waiting for Godot, all of which except one have never been staged in Malta before. Catastrophe Not I, Ohio Impromptu and Rockaby are from the mid and late period of Samuel Beckett’s theatrical output. Only Ohio Impromptu has been performed in Malta before.

Rockaby presents a delicately-balanced tableau, an old woman rocking in her last moments recalling images of her mother. Ohio Impromptu explores feelings of sadness, solitude and loss, and the process of coping, if not dealing, with these feelings.

With Not I, Ohio Impromptu and Rockaby, objective meaning seems to be of secondary importance. The pieces work on an emotional level, enriching and enhancing the deep intellectual level.

Catastrophe presents a different side to Beckett. It is his most overtly political play, dedicated to Vaclav Havel, an author of several very political plays in a very hostile Czechoslovakia then still under Soviet rule. It is, in a sense, simpler than the other plays being presented – having been variously interpreted as a fable on dictatorship, be it political, theological and even theatrical – but as always with Beckett’s theatre, it is unwise to limit oneself to a one-dimensional interpretation.

“Directing these particular pieces, I have been struck by the powerful musicality of Beckett’s language. I found myself ‘conducting’, savouring and enjoying the rich sounds and rhythms suggested by the text and listening to the subtleties of the dark poetry,” said Michael Fenech, Director for the Samuel Beckett plays.

“From last weekend’s performance, I was struck by the way people reacted to these plays. The respectful silence in the theatre during the performance was tangible; you could feel the tension these works evoked. I hope these ‘dramaticules’ manage to convey this poetry,” he added.

Vain Reasonings – 4 Short works by Beckett will once again be performed at the Theatre in the Round at St James Cavalier for Creativity tomorrow, on Saturday and Sunday at 8pm. Booking may be made from St James Cavalier Centre for Creativity.