Ghost Trio (play)

Ghost Trio is a television play, written in English by Samuel Beckett. It was written in 1975, taped in October 1976 and the first broadcast was on BBC2 on 17 April 1977 as part of the Lively Arts programme Beckett himself entitled Shades. Donald McWhinnie directed (supervised by Beckett) with Ronald Pickup and Billie Whitelaw. The play’s original title was to be . "On Beckett’s notebook, the word was crossed out vigorously and the new title Ghost Trio written next to it. On the title page of the BBC script the same handwritten title change can be found, indicating that it must have been corrected at the very last minute."

It was first published in Journal of Beckett Studies 1 (Winter 1976) and then collected in Ends and Odds (Grove Press, 1976; Faber, 1977).

Its three ‘acts’ reflect Beethoven’s Fifth Piano Trio (Opus 70, #1), known as The Ghost because of the slightly spooky mood of the second movement, Largo. The passages selected by Beckett are from the "ghostly" second theme.

Geistertrio, directed by Beckett was recorded by Süddeutscher Rundfunk, Stuttgart in May 1977 with Klaus Herm and Irmgard Först and broadcast 1 November 1977.

The idea for the piece dates back to 1968. At the time, whilst Beckett was working on the French translation of Watt, he had the first glimmerings of an idea for another television play. He discussed this with Josette Hayden who made the following note, which is probably all that remains of the original sketch:

Beckett’s stage layout is very precise. The setting yet another "familiar chamber", as the woman’s voice puts it. In the text he includes a detailed diagram, a variation of which is reproduced aside.

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