Review: 2nd Story's Production of 'Waiting for Godot'

Waiting for Godot is Samuel Beckett's most widely recognized play.The play has a minimal plot line, brilliant dialogue and sympathetic main characters that explore universal, unanswerable questions.Questions like, "who are we?" "How long have we been here?" "What are we doing here?" and "what will we do when we leave?"

 

Ed Shea has set up the space at the 2nd Story Theatre in a classic Godot framework.There is little in the way of props or scenery.The tree is there; traditionally conceived.The audience divided into two sections, each section facing the other, with the performance space in the middle.Downstage, stage left and right, mean little here.Space is space, the audience is drawn into the setting as we sit and look across the space to see what could be a mirror image of ourselves on the other side.

 

The costume design by Ron Cesario and uncredited makeup techniques convey a wealth of unspoken information about the characters and their station in life.Each detail is attended to, including broad, uneven hand stitching on the trousers and a make-up that is less clown-like (i.e. more human) on the two leading characters than it is than the supporting characters.

 

Godot does not insist that the audience take away the same message or meaning. It is comfortable with the unanswered questions and the end that is never realized.

 

 

The main characters, Vladimir (referred to in the play as Didi), played in this production by Bob Colonna and Estragon (referred to in the play as Gogo) play by David Rabinow, have a friendship for the ages.They have been together for 50 years, maybe much longer.They are each other's main source of affection and companionship.They banter with each other, amuse one another, console the other, but mostly, they wait, for Godot.

 

Bob Colonna's hangdog looks befit his character perfectly. As Didi, he begs Gogo and the audience to stay with him. Didi want Gogo and the audience to believe in him; to be assure that he knows what he is doing and why he is doing it.He is clearly the leader of this destitute duo, for better or worse.

 

David Rabinow's Gogo is a sweet, simpleton who has a deep, abiding affection for his friend Didi.The time referenced in script would lead the audience to the conclusion that the two main characters are contemporaries.In this production Gogo is played a generation younger than Didi.It works.The vulnerability, stubbornness, and wanderlust are infused with a paralyzing inertia.

 

As Pazzo, Chistopher Perrotti embodies those things that we despise in ourselves; our vanity, cruelty, greed and apathy are brought out for us to face. Pazzo is what Gogo and Didi are not. He is wealthy, tall, thin, and creepily, cartoonishly handsome. Wearing a black tuxedo with vest (pocket watch and all), jewel-tone green shirt with French cuffs and cufflinks. The make-up is pancake white with a grease-paint curly mustache and eyebrows.

 

 

Gogo, Didi and the audience find themselves alternately amused and disgusted by his pretension and cruelty to his manservant, Lucky, played by F. William Oakes.

 

While Gogo and Didi contemplate suicide as a way to pass the time, Lucky is just happy to be.Not to be anything in particular, just to be.Oakes plays the character with such vulnerability and with a comedic deftness, as to be heartbreaking and hysterical simultaneously.Staring into nothingness through thyroidy eyes and a neck rubbed raw from harness/noose one wonders if it was a noose that he placed himself in.

 

The script is filled with witty and quotable dialogue, like:

 

ESTRAGON: Charming spot. Let's go.

VLADIMIR: We can't.

ESTRAGON: Why not?

VLADIMIR: We're waiting for Godot.

ESTRAGON: (despairingly). Ah! (Pause.) You're sure it was here?

VLADIMIR: What?

ESTRAGON: That we were to wait.

VLADIMIR: He said by the tree. (They look at the tree.) Do you see any others?

ESTRAGON: What is it?

VLADIMIR: I don't know. A willow.

ESTRAGON: Where are the leaves?

VLADIMIR: It must be dead.

ESTRAGON: No more weeping.

 

that is so deftly delivered that the audience is able to derive the absurd humor from the tragic situation.

 

When Godot is staged as well as this production is staged; each member of the audience can take from the play what they take, and not be lacking.This is a terrific production of a brilliant piece of art.

 

I would advise folks who love theater to follow this advice when thinking about whether or not they are going to take the trip out to 2^nd Story:

 

VLADIMIR: Well? Shall we go?

ESTRAGON: Yes, let's go

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