LATIMES.COM/CALENDAR SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2019E5
2000, and I can still hear ac-
tress Marian Seldes repeat-
edly calling out “Bravo!” dur-
ing the curtain call. She
wasn’t alone. Irwin is an ac-
tor’s actor, and “On Beckett”
seems pitched as much to fel-
low thespians as Beckett su-
perfans.
A trim and tidy fellow with
a gentle manner and a shock
of grizzled hair that is like a
calmer version of the electri-
fied coiffure Beckett wore in
his later years, Irwin wel-
comes the audience with a
self-effacing sweetness. He’s
not a scholar, he makes clear
from the outset. He hasn’t
read every word that Beckett
has written and doesn’t have
the keys to unlock Beckett’s
sometimes cryptic writing.
He doubts such keys even
exist. Beckett, who miracu-
lously balanced high litera-
ture with low comedy, is too
complex for single-minded
interpretations. Irwin admits
his own particular lens as
dramatic clown is too narrow
to take in the enormousness
of Beckett’s late modernism.
What Irwin has is a play-
er’s insight into the inner the-
atrical workings of the writ-
ing, a wisdom earned through
his own stage successes and
failures. He forgoes perform-
ing an excerpt of “Endgame”
after acknowledging that his
one stab at the play was a
flop. Curiously, he devotesquite a bit of time to nondra-
matic prose fiction, including
“Texts for Nothing,” “Watt”
and “The Unnamable,” the fi-
nal novel in Beckett’s master-
piece trilogy.
“Godot” naturally figures
prominently in this survey.
Irwin reveals where he
stands on the pronunciation
of the unseen title character’s
name. (After working with
British director Anthony
Page, he has come around to
“God-o.”) Taking a look at
the final scene, in which a boy
(adorably played at the re-
viewed performance by Ben-
jamin Taylor) appears as a
messenger, Irwin demon-
strates how simple permuta-
tions in the blocking can radi-cally alter the relationship
between Vladimir and a
sleeping Estragon. In the bal-
ance of show and tell, the lat-
ter dominates the former. If
the anecdotes are more
memorable than the enact-
ments, it’s probably because
the brief passages are decon-
textualized. Irwin uses the
texts to illustrate points
about the shifting nature of
pronouns and the Irish ca-
dences of dialogue that para-
doxically was originally writ-
ten in French. It would have
been a treat to see him per-
form one of the shorter dram-
atic works from start to fin-
ish.
But a better guide to
playing Beckett would behard to find. And when it
comes to the clowning el-
ements, a master class is in
session. It’s astonishing the
way Irwin can transform not
only his own being but the
few objects surrounding him
by donning a pair of baggy
pants. The trick, he explains,
is all in his changing silhou-
ette.
Just as vital, however, is
his genius for physical come-
dy. That spine of his is an in-
strument of hilarious virtu-
osity. The slapstick, however,
is in service of a profound vi-
sion of stumbling humanity
not succumbing to despair
but getting up repeatedly de-
spite knowing that falling is
our inescapable fate.BILL IRWINhas long been drawn to the writing of Samuel Beckett. That admiration is fully on display in “On Beckett,” now on stage at the Kirk Douglas Theatre.
Dania MaxwellLos Angeles TimesHow to clown around with Beckett
[‘Beckett,’ from E1]
eryone at the fair, which
ends Sunday. Besides a slew
of deep-fried food options
(including watermelon),
rides for all levels of thrill-
seekers, an esports world,
dance performances and
more, musical variety is
critical in appealing to its
diverse clientele, which
numbered 1.13 million last
year. From local musicians
and up-and-coming artists
to Grammy-winning stars
like Latin rapper Pitbull, the
options are many.
Sprinkled across the fair-
ground’s 543 acres are 10
stages of varying sizes. The
smallest holds about 50 peo-
ple and is frequented mostly
by families with children and
passersby. Those who seek a
larger, more spectacular
concert experience can buy
tickets to see performers on
the Grandstand stage,
which can hold up to 9,000
people. Ticket prices vary by
artists, but they typically
start at $44 and can surpass
$150. That’s still a bargain
compared with ticket prices
at other venues such as Sta-
ples Center and the Forum.
“We try to keep everyone
in mind,” said Miguel San-
tana, the association’s presi-
dent and chief executive, re-
ferring to their selection of
the year’s musical acts. “We
wanted to be diverse and
representative of Southern
California.”
It’s why in 2017, shortly af-
ter Santana was appointed
CEO, he made it a goal to
boost revenue and increase
attendance by attracting
older teenagers and
millennials. In Southern
California, that meant tar-
geting young Latinos. If he
couldn’t, he realized, the fair
would be doomed. Part of
that effort involved partner-
ships with local venues and
not raising entrance prices.
Finding musical acts that
appeal to different age
groups, cultures and musi-
cal tastes is difficult, admitsDale Coleman, who books
the artists. Trying to please
the R&B and Latin-jams
lovers, the oldies and coun-
try aficionados, the hip-hop
and rock enthusiasts, is no
easy feat, said the chief reve-
nue officer and vice presi-
dent of sales.
But Coleman seems to
have figured it out. A 30-yearfair employee, he oversees
the End of Summer Concert
Series, which brings a mix of
eclectic music and stand-up
comedy Friday to Sunday
evenings to sometimes
thousands of people at the
Grandstand stage.
This year, the summer
concerts featured comedian
George Lopez; Colombian
singer-songwriter Juanes;
country stars Old Dominion
and Kelsea Ballerini &
Hunter Hayes; Mexican
Norteño musician Ramón
Ayala; and the funk-rock
band War with Tierra and
Malo, among others.
The blend is a big change
for the series, which began
more than 20 years ago and
mostly featured oldies acts,
said Coleman. For a while, it
struggled to stay alive.
In the more than 10 years
that War has performed at
the fair, the audience has al-
ways been “multicultural,”
said Lonnie Jordan, the
band’s vocalist and key-
boardist. “I see, out in the
audience, the parents who
were loyal to us back in the
early days, back in the early’70s.” They’re much older
now, he’s observed, when he
sees them on the bleachers
with their children and
grandchildren enjoying clas-
sic hits like “Why Can’t We
Be Friends,” “Spill the Wine”
and “Cisco Kid.”
War and Chicago, who
also performed this year, are
the sort of old-school legacy
bands that concert organ-
izers still make space for ev-
ery year. Their primary fans
are typically older folks who
grew up listening to them.
Part of Lucas Rivera’s job
within the association is to
know popular music. “The
work I do is specific,” said
the senior vice president of
programming. “My job is
keeping my finger on the
pulse of what’s hot and
trending” and being mindful
of who is listening to what.
Sometimes, though, a
musician’s fans are unpre-
dictable.
Delphina Russell is one of
them. The 82-year-old Co-
vina resident sat in her
wheelchair on a recent eve-
ning eagerly waiting for her
favorite artist to emerge:Latin rapper and hip-hop
artist Pitbull, who was
scheduled to perform at the
Grandstand stage. It was
her first concert, and she
was elated.
“I love his bald head. I
love his tattoos. I love the
way he jumps up and down.
He’s a very good enter-
tainer,” said Russell, who’s
been a die-hard Pitbull fan
since 2011 and has attended
the fair since 1955.
“Why did you come this
year?” asked her grandson
David.
“Pitbull,” said Russell
without pause. She keeps
three small photos of the Cu-
ban American artist in her
wallet next to pictures of her
grandchildren.
When the stadium lights
went off and Pitbull, all clad
in black, came to the stage,
the fans at the sold-out show
clapped, cheered and whis-
tled.
And Russell, smiling
from ear to ear, rose from her
wheelchair briefly, waving
her left hand in the air. Dur-
ing the almost two-hour set,
her grin never faded.PITBULLperforms at the L.A. County Fair, which tries to select musical acts that represent the diversity of Southern California.Gina FerazziLos Angeles TimesDELPHINARussell, 82, at the Pitbull concert with
her homemade poster, is a die-hard Pitbull fan.Gina FerazziLos Angeles TimesA fair
mix of
music
appeals
to all
[County fair,from E1]
‘On Beckett’
Where:Kirk Douglas
Theatre, 9820 Washington
Blvd., Culver City
When:8 p.m. Tuesdays-
Fridays, 2 and 8 p.m.
Saturdays, 1 and 6:30
p.m. Sundays (call for
exceptions), through
Oct. 27
Tickets:$30-$75 (subject
to change)
Info:(213) 628-2772,
http://www.centertheatregroup
.org
Running time:1 hour and
30 minutes