Vignettes #54

While spending a weekend in Dublin in 2010 celebrating my parents' 50th wedding anniversary I had a lot of time to spare and no real plans of what to do. I did take some extensive walks around town and at Trinity College I noticed a bulletin announcing an afternoon preview performance of Samuel Beckett's Happy Days staged by students at the Samuel Beckett Centre on campus. I immediately decided I wanted to see it. In order to be prepared I went to the Hodges Figgis bookstore and bought a paperback copy of the play. I spent the hours before the scheduled performance at 2pm on campus reading the play and enjoying the perfect weather. Then I went to check the bulletin again, but it wasn't there anymore. Although that was a bit strange, I didn't think much of it and went on to the Samuel Beckett Centre about 15 minutes before the announced opening. Again it was strange that there was nobody else there, and the ticket counter was closed. The side doors to the theatre were wide open, and I heard a lot of noise coming from inside. I took a peek inside and what I saw were workers and stage designers hard at work yelling orders to each other, and the whole stage was in disarray. I did wait till past the scheduled entrance time, but nothing happened. Obviously the stage was not ready for a performance anytime soon, and the play had been canceled. I went off again disappointed and imagined Samuel Beckett chuckling from his grave.