Waiting for Godot Reviewed

Waiting for Godot is in my select group of every-five-years plays—those profoundly ambiguous works worth seeing at least twice a decade since their meaning seems to change with the passage of time. We inevitably view classics through a series of prisms—current political and cultural debates, what’s happening in our own lives, and, of course, the vision of the director—and the great ones reveal new depths with each refocus.

Samuel Beckett’s 1953 masterpiece certainly fits into that category, and those of us in this area haven’t had a chance to see it since the fine Rubicon Theatre production of 2004. So we’re past due for a revisit, and the Mark Taper Forum has filled the need with a staging that is highly amusing, deeply chilling, and unquestionably authentic.

The play is, of course, about everything and nothing. Two tramps, lifelong friends who have grown into old men together, hang out at a clearing in the road. Vladimir (Barry McGovern) and Estragon (Alan Mandell) are expecting a visit from the title character, a man they believe will fulfill all their wishes and desires. So they hang around this no man’s land, aimlessly chatting and passing the time until he arrives.