****
Beckett's two Acts Without Words pithily sum up the concerns of much of his work. They picture the human being in the classic 20th century condition of helplessness: desperately grappling to reach an unreachable target - in this case, a bottle of something coloured green - and falling into depression or blithely and stupidly trying to put a brave face on a impossible situation.
In a way, Beckett's actors are puppets; so it is an interesting twist to play the works with puppets. At first it seems as if the stringed creatures' obvious helplessness in the hands of the black-hatted, black-coated manipulators, wipes out Beckett's point. However, the beautifully made white figure begins to insist and convince, particularly when he falls into heartbreaking melancholy, accompanied by Antonio Henrique Aderne Vieira's live violin.
Ohio Impromptu, however, played by two identical human puppets, is played on a monotone, which is alienating.
Until tonight, 8 p.m.
The Dublin Fringe Festival office is at 2 Temple Bar Square, and is open from Monday to Saturday, from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. Book by phone on 1850 374643 or online at http://www,fringefest.com and HYPERLINK http://wwww.dkm.ie.events
***** - Brilliant
**** - good
*** - more good than bad
** - more bad than good
* - bad