Comic actors (L-R) Nathan Lane and Bill Irwin living a tragic landscape, in Samuel Beckett's "Waiting for Godot." (Joan Marcus)
On a deserted country road, where there is nothing but endless mountains of rocks and a single tree, two hobos, Estragon (Nathan Lane) and Vladimir (Bill Irwin), wait and wait and wait some more. The two are waiting for Godot to arrive and give them some important advice/words of wisdom and/or direction to their lives. While Estragon has long grown tired of the endless waiting, Vladimir continues to counsel patience, reassuring his friend that Godot will indeed arrive with the answers they are seeking. Even if the two are not actually sure of the questions or have long since forgotten them.
There is also the feeling that the two men have been waiting at this spot many times before. From their conversations and actions, they seem to be playing this "waiting game" ad infinitum.
In the midst of this waiting, they encounter Pozzo (John Goodman), a bloated giant of a man, and his beaten down servant Lucky (wonderfully portrayed by John Glover), who is fettered to his master by a rope and always carrying Pozzo's possessions. Yet when the four meet again the next day, Pozzo has no recollection of the initial encounter, a hint that the passages of time affect different people in different ways. Or perhaps Estragon and Vladimir are so far beneath Pozzo's notice, he simply wipes them from his memory once they disappear from his sight.
The play is a brilliant character study of the different classes of man—from servant to master, to a sort of roving freebooter traveling from place to place. Yet none of them ever seem to get anywhere. The simplistic immenseness of the story is helped by the excellent direction of Anthony Page who brings out the different facets of the characters, and while keeping the story moving smoothly, also allows for the impact of silence and pregnant pauses to be felt full force. Also central to the play is the wonderful set by Santo Loquasto, which creates a location that feels literally at the end of the world. (There is also the single tree upon which leaves seemingly sprout and grow overnight.)
Acting is excellent. Lane and Irwin are perfectly cast as Estragon and Vladimir. Comic actors both, they play the characters almost, but not quite, larger than life, raging at the unfairness of their situation, but at the same time, seemingly helpless to change it. Although they quarrel often, it soon becomes evident the two men are closely bound to each other, almost different sides of the same coin. While they split up more than once, they both inevitably return to this place and the waiting.
Lane, who has more of the verbal humor in the story, is fun as the complaining Estragon, a character somewhat limited in vision, as he is often unable to see the strangeness of the situation. Yet like Vladimir, he is a kind and dependable fellow. A former silent clown, Irwin brings these skills to the fore as Vladimir, with a certain fluidity in his movements, while trying to make sense of the situation and keep Estragon from flying off the handle. All the while sticking to his belief that they must wait for Godot, for it is he who will provide the answers.
Goodman is good as both the comic relief and harsh oppressor. The character of Pozzo, (representing the idle rich), is so spoiled, he has Lucky carry a chair and place it under him when he wants to sit down. While Pozzo may seem an object of ridicule to an outsider, he is perfectly happy in his own little world—a world in which he is in charge, rich, and has the creature comforts he desires.
The most chilling and complex character in the tale is the one we know least about: the aged servant with the ironic name played by John Glover. Lucky has been used, abused, and is little more than an animal. Yet when Estragon and Vladimir try to relieve him of his burden, he gets quite angry. For, as Pozzo explains, they are attempting to take away Lucky's trappings and responsibilities—things that are his and ones he bears with pride. The result is a sobering look at someone who has been in this state for so long, he simply cannot conceive of anything else. At the same time, there is a heartbreaking aura of tragedy surrounding Lucky, with Glover's various gestures and movements speaking volumes.
Also in the story is the small but pivotal role of a Boy (played on alternate nights by Cameron Clifford and Matthew Schechter) who delivers some important information. Information, which not only drives home the true message of the play—that it is important for every man to make his own destiny—but also shows the danger of waiting for someone else to come and give you an answer or show you the way. This is a brilliantly executed production that should definitely be seen by all.
Costumes by Jane Greenwood and lighting by Peter Kaczorowski also work well.
Waiting For Godot
Studio 54
254 West 54th Street
Tickets: 212-719-1300 or www.roundabouttheatre.org
Running time: 2 hours, 15 minutes
Closes: July 12
Judd Hollander is the New York correspondent for the London publication The Stage.
