BWW Reviews: St. Louis Actors' Studio's Terrific WAITING FOR GODOT

I'm a big fan of the St. Louis Actors' Studio because they always seem to manage to mix the old with the new in intriguing fashion during their theme based seasons, and you can wind up catching a classic like Waiting for Godot along the way. It's always a fun and engaging ride no matter what they offer up, and this time around they're presenting the absurdly profound work I just mentioned. Playwright Samuel Beckett's wacky characterizations and dialogue, along with it's see-through symbolism, is given a wonderful presentation by the company, with excellent performances and expert direction.

The plot of Waiting for Godot takes a back seat to the ways the playwright plays with the form itself. It's not just two characters waiting by a tree for the arrival of someone known as Godot, and the interesting people they meet while doing so, but a look at two desperate souls who are waiting to take the next step in their journey as human beings. To reveal any more would be to spoil the individual interpretation that the play invites upon its viewers.

The entire cast does terrific work, with Terry Meadows (as Estagon/aka Gogo) and Gary Wayne Barker (Vladimir/aka Didi) doing most of the heavy lifting, since they're both onstage nearly the entirety of the play. Meadows is a likable curmudgeon, uncomfortable in his boots, and more likely to lay down for a nap than to take any kind of action, unless he's cajoled into doing so, of course. Barker, with his character suffering from a urinary infection of some sort, is surprisingly agreeable, but also tense and anxious, waiting on pins and needles for the arrival of Godot. Together they're quite the pair, and their interactions are priceless and perfectly timed and executed. Greg Johnston is a gruff bear as Pozzo, who totes around a slave named Lucky (irony alert) on a noose. Aaron Orion Baker is given little to do as the unfortunate Lucky, shuffling along barefoot while tethered to his master. But, he does manage a silly little jig, and when he's asked to think, an amazingly literate stream of conscious blathering comes pouring forth from him. Hayden Benbenek also contributes nicely as a young boy who arrives to let Didi and Gogo know that Godot is not coming on this particular day.

Director Bobby Miller is to be commended for his staging and ability to draw forth such committed performances from his cast. Patrick Huber's set and lighting are stark and simple, but extremely effective. Michele Friedman Siler's costumes are perfectly threadbare for most of the cast, and considerably appropriate otherwise.

Go see Waiting for Godot! This is an exceptional production. It continues through May 5, 2013 at the Gaslight Theater.

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