4.5 out of 5 stars

How can Samuel Beckett's sad, gray, post-apocalyptic "Endgame" be so delightful without diluting its surreal nihilism? The Druid theater company (Tony winners for "The Beauty Queen of Leenane") has accomplished it. The bewitching cast is led by Rory Nolan as the blind, demanding Hamm and Aaron Monaghan as his snarky servant Clov, both seemingly confined to a decrepit silo along with Hamm's trashcan-dwelling parents. Amid their fatalistic bickering they paradoxically bring spirit and wry humor -- that is, humanity -- to a play about humanity's end times. Among this season's Beckett revivals, this one should convert skeptics while enchanting fans. — Adam Z. Horvath

Presented by the Druid theater company at the Irish Arts Center, through Nov. 23, 2025; irishartscenter.org. (Review date: Nov. 1, 2025)