Stumped at Lord's: 'Witty blend of theatre and cricket'

****

It’s one of the obscure facts that cricket revels in: Samuel Beckett is the only Nobel prize winner whose first-class averages appear in Wisden.

Test Match commentator John Arlott once wrote that of all the sporting literatures in the world, cricket’s canon has the most literary merit… other than bull fighting! Shomit Dutta adds to this heritage with a witty, perceptive work about an imaginary meeting between Beckett and fellow playwright Harold Pinter.

Such was Pinter’s enthusiasm for the game that he established Gaieties CC, a wandering showbiz side that Dutta plays for. Here he catches much of the typical experience of the club player; pre-batting panic, scoring duties, superstitions, getting a lift to the ground, club house drinking after a hot day in the slips, and the endless amusement caused by abdominal protectors (boxes).

“Wearing my box – mustn’t neglect the little things!” says Harold in his pre-innings check.

The action takes place during a Gaities fixture in the Cotswolds in the late 60s, much of it is set on the balcony of the pavilion where Beckett is scoring and Pinter is padding-up. They toss around literary anecdotes and spar but clearly respect each other’s talent – “When are our plays about anything?” asks Sam.

Dutta's play should please both cricket and theatre fans. The men's banter is suitably laced with pauses, absurdities and enigmatic responses, and Waiting for Godot is evoked as the pair wait in the dark, post match for someone who may not exist.

Andrew Lancel has the harder job as Pinter; so much footage remains of the Caretaker playwright, while the Waiting for Godot creator rarely appeared on camera. The excellent Stephen Tompkinson delivers the Beckett we all imagine - his description of Pinter’s disastrous innings is waspishly brilliant.

Guy Unsworth's relaxed and intimate production is billed as being 'live at Lord's' in St John's Wood. But the 50-minute play, framed in a blue-lit theatre-style box, could have been recorded anywhere. Regardless, I think John Arlott would have been generous in his review.

Andrew Lancel (Harold Pinter) and Stephen Tompkinson (Samuel Beckett) in Stumped (Image: ©Tristram Kenton)

Original Theatre's Stumped can be streamed on demand from September 27 to September 2023. Visit originaltheatreonline.com/productions/46/stumped-on-demand