Her portrayal of the eternally optimistic Winnie is simultaneously heartwarming and harrowing, especially when all that remains of Winnie is her head above the earth.

With this we are constantly reminded of our position as a voyeur, hesitantly peering into Winnie’s monotonous life.Ĭarol Burns’ performance in the demanding role of Winnie is simply phenomenal: she is engaging, versatile and expressive throughout the 90-minute monologue. These design elements remain true to Beckett’s assertion that the whole setting should present “a pathetic unsuccessful realism” as the backdrop is poorly hung and the stage is quite literally framed by a large golden border.

The isolated world of Happy Days is displayed as bleak but warm by Penny Challen’s design: a large rock structure is set against the unchanging backdrop of a sunset, and Ben Hughes’ lighting design evokes images of the scathing sun. In this production, directed by Wesley Enoch, we are once again at the mercy of Beckett’s darkly humorous world. Her plight is familiar – a common theme in Beckett’s work and the work of several other Absurdist playwrights where man (or in this case woman) tries to find meaning in a meaningless world. Joined only by her quiet husband Willie, Winnie passes each “happy day” combing her hair, brushing her teeth and babbling away until the bell for sleep rings. Samuel Beckett’s Happy Dayscentres on a woman in the autumn years of her life buried to her waist – and then neck – in a mound of earth.

This script is like a piece of music and you must let yourself feel it through to the end, and then consider the journey. We are all trying to make our way through life as best we can and Winnie uses all the resources that are available to her, wisely husbanded, to get through the day. Winnie has a brave heart first and foremost.

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