Centre Theater’s Presentation Of Samuel Beckett's Waiting For Godot Brings The Non-Traditional To Norristown

Theater: Centre Theater

Show Title: Waiting For Godot

Opened: November 2, 2007

Seen: November 4, 2007

Reviewer: Karin Suni

Submitted: November 12, 2007

 

Any production of Samuel Beckett’s Waiting For Godot is an ambitious undertaking. The same could be said for reviewing any such performance. There is so much packed into such a sparse script, and the non-traditional nature of the play stretches the capabilities of actors, directors and reviewers alike. Lucky for me, then, that the Norristown’s Centre Theater’s presentation of the Iron Age production of Waiting For Godot has made my job easy.

 

The plot, such as it is, consists of two men, Vladimir and Estragon, whiling away the time while waiting for the arrival of a man named Godot with whom they have an appointment. Much like Seinfeld was a television show about nothing, Waiting For Godot is a play about nothing, though Beckett may very well be spinning in his grave at the comparison. It is not so much about what happens, which isn’t much other than the appearance of a few travelers and messengers, as it is about the lack of happening and what people do to make up an existence without outside events and influence. In this sense, while the play is about nothing, it is also about everything. It is full of meaning and opportunities for interpretation, but even as avant garde as it is, it can be watched simply for what is on stage, two men passing time while waiting on a third.

 

For some reason, perhaps because once the non-traditional barrier is broken there is a tendency to go overboard, directors often put up productions that look to twist this play into something even more absurd. Fortunately, director/designer John Doyle did not fall into this trap. It is not Beckett in space, Godot in a mall or done only in mime. Thankfully it does not attempt to make the avant garde more avant garde and instead is a true and faithful presentation of Beckett’s script. The set is cold, calm, nondescript and uses levels and the shape of the room to its advantage. Because the audience is seated along a length of the play space, there are times when the audience mimics one at a tennis match, only here there are lines of speech volleyed back and forth instead of balls.

 

Adam Altman (Estragon) and David Fiebert (Vladimir) give balanced performances both in terms of the give and take between them and in presenting characters that are just that, characters. Beckett did not write well rounded people with years of back story. Vladimir and Estragon at times discuss the past, but there is always a question as to how much if any of what they say is real. This lack of certainty and completeness is integral to proper functioning of the play. Mr. Fiebert and Mr. Altman both do well in not embellishing the written characters and performing the complex simplicity of their characters and the relationship between them. Chuck Beishl and David Yashin also live up to this difficult task. Mr. Beishl’s performance highlights Pozzo’s haughty and demanding yet vulnerable nature, while Mr. Yashin uses measured movements and faces to speak volumes even when his character, Lucky, is silent. In fact, the overall physicality of the show, especially that of a vaudevillian type such as pratfalls and the hat exchange, was very well done by all the actors.

 

When deciding whether or not to attend the Centre Theater’s presentation of the Iron Age production of Waiting For Godot, the question is not is this a good production, as it most undoubtedly is. The question is whether or not this is your type of play. If you are looking for a traditional, straight-forward evening at the theatre, this play is not for you, no matter how good the production. But, if you want something a little different, if you want a taste of the avant garde, if you want to experience one of the most influential plays of the 20^th Century, then I highly suggest a trip to Norristown to the Centre Theater. And if you leave afterward wanting to know more, you can always peruse the dramaturgical guide included with your program which is chock full of essays, interpretations and information about Samuel Beckett and Waiting For Godot.

 

The play runs through November 25^th.