Waiting for Godot

Two men wait on a country road for a mysterious someone who may never appear. This is the basic concept of the thought-provoking play, “Waiting for Godot,” which held its first performances last Friday and Saturday in Jewell Theater. Directed by Professor of Theatre Bob Larson, the play contains five characters, a minimal set and a simple scenario loaded with complex themes.

Forty years ago, Larson directed the very same play in the basement of Valders Hall of Science. Now, Larson is curious to see how a new generation will react to the play.

“It speaks differently to different generations,” he said. “[But] it will never get dated, because it raises fundamental questions about our human condition.”

Determining exactly what the play is about is tricky.

“People who come to this want to have their brains tossed around a bit,” audience member Bill Becvar, who directed the same play 30 years ago at another university, said.

“Waiting for Godot” has no linear plot and constantly sways between a comedy and a tragedy, which makes it difficult to act.

“It’s an extremely demanding piece for actors because of the nature of the script,” Larson said. “There’s nothing linear about it.”

Actor Brett Epperson (‘11) agreed that the play was challenging to perform. For Epperson, the hardest challenge was “finding the pattern, finding the method behind the madness” of the lines.

While the play may have confused some audience members, others thought it simply took time to grasp.

“It’s worth staying around for the second act, because it makes the rest of the play easier to understand,” Amanda Novak (‘06) said.

The set and costumes in the play give no specific clues to the location or time of the piece. A projected full moon, a twisted tree and a mound of earth make up the set, with the audience risers circling the stage.

Stage manager Angie Pidde (‘11) commented on the appropriateness of the tree built for the set.

“It’s minimal, but it’s perfect,” Pidde said. “It sets the right mood for the show.”

The sound of wind plays throughout the production, giving the setting a sense of desolation, and the actors’ shabby, threadbare costumes match the set’s muted sepia tones.

When the premise and ambience are put together, what does it all mean? In the program notes, Nick Preus, associate professor of English and education, calls the play, “a modernist elegy for the loss of meaning the world,” although he also writes that “there are no definitive interpretations of the play.”

Indeed, everyone took away a different understanding from the play.

“The play shows how people spend all their time waiting for something, and don’t even question why they’re waiting,” audience member Ben Winkler (‘12) said.

The actors, of course, had to bring their own interpretations to the piece.

“Existentialism is definitely a theme,” actor Gary Danciu (‘10) said. “The play is very much a parody of life.”

Whatever the meaning of the play might be, Becvar had nothing but praise for the show.

“It was beautifully directed and acted,” he said. “It’s a difficult show to put on, and everyone pulled it off so well.”