Most 9-to-5 office drones know the feeling of being trapped in a mundane existence that is punctuated by daily routines—and the only way to survive is by the blind hope that tomorrow will somehow be better. Of course, being figuratively buried in paperwork hardly compares to the plight of Winnie, the protagonist of Samuel Beckett’s 1961 play, Happy Days—who begins the play, quite literally, half-buried in a pile of earth. Winnie doesn’t question how she got there; she just goes about her ritualistic business of being there and prattling away to whoever will listen—which, in this case, is her inattentive husband, whose terse responses aren’t nearly as important to her as is his simple presence. As time passes, however, so does whatever hope Winnie has of pulling herself out of her sinking situation: By the time Act II rolls around, she’s buried up to her neck—a development that should provide audience members with plenty of material for their next water-cooler chitchat. The performance begins at 7:30 p.m. at the Kennedy Center’s Terrace Theater, 2700 F St. NW; see kennedy-center.org for a complete schedule. $65. (202) 467-4600. —Matthew Borlik