"Waiting for Godot" by Samuel Beckett, opening at the 2nd Story Theater in Warren on May 25, celebrates the 50th anniversary of the play's Broadway premiere. Samuel Beckett's modern classic is the tragicomedy of Vladimir and Estragon who entertainingly contemplate life as they wait for one who may never arrive; this 'tragicomedy' balances a unique blend of vaudevillian slapstick with dazzling poetic prose.

Two burned-out hobos, Estragon and Vladimir, wait on a country road for a meeting with a Mr. Godot. As they continue to wait they pass the time with conversation, food and philosophical discussions. They mistake two passers-by, Pozzo and his slave Lucky, for Godot. After more conversation and food, Pozzo and Lucky continue on their way leaving Vladimir and Estragon still waiting. The first act closes when Godot’s Messenger, tells the tramps that Mr. Godot will not be coming today. He will come tomorrow. The second act repeats the events of the first act, except Pozzo is blind and Lucky is mute. Again the boy comes to deliver the message that Mr. Godot will come tomorrow.

It might seem that nothing much happens -- we see some men in despriate straits living on hope that something will happen to change their situation. Running through the same events in the second act helps us live their hope that maybe, this time, their situation will change and ours with them.

The first production in 1953 in Paris was met with mixed reviews. As one critic who wants a simple story with a clear progression of events put it, “Nothing happens–twice.”

In the 1955 London production and 1956 New York productions it gained international attention, eventually earning Beckett the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1969. “Waiting for Godot” has entertained audiences as diverse as children, prisoners and university students and is accepted as one of the classics of the twentieth-century stage.

Beckett, a playwright, novelist, and poet, was born in a suburb of Dublin to a privileged Anglo-Irish Protestant family in 1906. As a student of Trinity College, he was exposed to the leading literary and political figures in Ireland and was influenced by the leading theatre forms of Dublin: Irish nationalism, experimental European drama, melodrama and American vaudeville. When Beckett was 40 years old he took a break from writing prose and wrote the play “Waiting for Godot.”

"Waiting for Godot" is a play for lovers of art more than light entertainment.

Preview performances: Friday 5/19, Saturday 5/20 @ 8 p.m; tickets $10. Regular performances: Thursdays – Saturdays, 5/25 – 6/17 @ 8 p.m.; tickets $20. Matinee Performances: Sundays 5/28 - 6/18 @ 3 p.m.; tickets $20.

2nd Story Theatre is located at 28 Market St., Warren, RI. The Downstairs Bistro, a full service bar and restaurant, is open for dining on performance dates. For reservations, call 401-247-4200. Visit the website at www.2ndStoryTheatre.com

Readers Comments About This Page:

Be the first! Add Your Comment!