Review: Waiting for Godot
"Nothing happens. Nobody comes and nobody goes."
This pretty much summed up my experience of Waiting for Godot, the classic French and English tragicomedy adapted by Shoreside Theatre.
A millennial child, I visit the theatre to gasp at a murder mystery, giggle at slapstick or marvel at a polished soliloquy.
Rarely do I find politics or philosophy entertaining as much as I do disturbing or even boring.
So the idea of an absurdist fiction that lamented on the purpose, or more to the point of this play, the purposelessness of life, sounded somewhat dreary and depressing.
But for some reason I decided to give this 1940's Samuel Beckett play a go.
Sitting in The PumpHouse's chilly new Coal Bunker Studio space, I'm actually glad I did.
"Do you find it tedious?
"I have been better entertained."
One hour into watching two old men nattering about nothing, I admit I wanted to make a run for it.
It wasn't the fault of the protagonist actors, Trevor Sharp as Estrogon or 'Gogo' and Brian Sullivan as Vladimir or 'Didi'. They are either dowdy old men in real life or they are naturals with lovely comic timing, plenty of expression and let's face it, stamina.
Any lack of plot can be blamed on Beckett. Having said that, it was worth persevering in the patient wait for Godot.
Yep, this is possibly the most pointless play you really should see.
We don't know who this man Godot is or what he's offering these two friends, but he's causing them to seek him out, evening after evening in the same dismal 'waiting room'.
While waiting, the two meet up with fat cat Pozzo and his slave Lucky. When Lucky speaks it seems to be the crescendo which the story has been building up to, but the meaning behind his words is anyone's guess.
And the mysterious Godot could be a figment of the men's imagination or God himself, for all we know. Some audiences claim this is Groundhog Day, others draw parallels with the equally absurdist piece Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead.
"What are we doing here? That is the question," asks Didi. "We are not saints but we have kept our appointment. How many can say so much?"
All I can say is, I'm glad I kept my appointment. In today's sped-up world where our attention spans the width of an iPhone 6, sometimes it's nice to wait for Godot.
Waiting for Godot, a studio production by Shoreside Theatre, directed by Brian Keegan in the Coal Bunker Studio at The PumpHouse, Takapuna. On until September 13.
- Stuff.co.nz
This pretty much summed up my experience of Waiting for Godot, the classic French and English tragicomedy adapted by Shoreside Theatre.A millennial child, I visit the theatre to gasp at a murder mystery, giggle at slapstick or marvel at a polished soliloquy.
Rarely do I find politics or philosophy entertaining as much as I do disturbing or even boring.
So the idea of an absurdist fiction that lamented on the purpose, or more to the point of this play, the purposelessness of life, sounded somewhat dreary and depressing.
But for some reason I decided to give this 1940's Samuel Beckett play a go.
Sitting in The PumpHouse's chilly new Coal Bunker Studio space, I'm actually glad I did.
"Do you find it tedious?
"I have been better entertained."
One hour into watching two old men nattering about nothing, I admit I wanted to make a run for it.
It wasn't the fault of the protagonist actors, Trevor Sharp as Estrogon or 'Gogo' and Brian Sullivan as Vladimir or 'Didi'. They are either dowdy old men in real life or they are naturals with lovely comic timing, plenty of expression and let's face it, stamina.
Any lack of plot can be blamed on Beckett. Having said that, it was worth persevering in the patient wait for Godot.
Yep, this is possibly the most pointless play you really should see.
We don't know who this man Godot is or what he's offering these two friends, but he's causing them to seek him out, evening after evening in the same dismal 'waiting room'.
While waiting, the two meet up with fat cat Pozzo and his slave Lucky. When Lucky speaks it seems to be the crescendo which the story has been building up to, but the meaning behind his words is anyone's guess.
And the mysterious Godot could be a figment of the men's imagination or God himself, for all we know. Some audiences claim this is Groundhog Day, others draw parallels with the equally absurdist piece Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead.
"What are we doing here? That is the question," asks Didi. "We are not saints but we have kept our appointment. How many can say so much?"
All I can say is, I'm glad I kept my appointment. In today's sped-up world where our attention spans the width of an iPhone 6, sometimes it's nice to wait for Godot.
Waiting for Godot, a studio production by Shoreside Theatre, directed by Brian Keegan in the Coal Bunker Studio at The PumpHouse, Takapuna. On until September 13.
- Stuff.co.nz
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