PUBLISHED October 28th, 2014 04:00 pm | UPDATED July 25th, 2024 03:16 pm
Good plays generate a lot of buzz, but it’s the great plays that incite critique and welcome interpretations – and Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot is one of them. Our friends at ABA Productions have heard our pleas and are bringing back this international production from Dublin to Singapore for a limited run this November.
The Story
On a bare country road, Vladimir and his friend Estragon wait in hope of salvation from a man called Godot. While waiting, they play games, entertain one another with vaudevillian tricks, question whether Godot will arrive, and how they will benefit when he does. They’re interrupted by the arrival of a wealthy landowner Pozzo, who queries their reasons for waiting, and his slave, Lucky, who bursts out in a monologue. As the master-slave pair leaves and night fails, a young lad arrives and tells Vladimir and Estragon that “Mr Godot won’t come here today but he’ll surely arrive tomorrow.”
In the second act, Pozzo returns but he has turned blind and Lucky is mute. The former claims to have lost all notion of time, as he cannot remember meeting them the day before. His arrogance has also been replaced by humility, and his parting words ‘[T]hey give birth astride of a grave, the light gleams an instant, then it’s night once more’ shows insight to the brevity of human existence. The circular nature of their experiences and existence begin to dawn on Vladimir as the duo encounter the (apparently) same boy from yesterday. Vladimir and Estragon continue waiting, resolving to commit suicide if Godot fails to arrive the next day. Again, they decide to clear out for the night, though neither of them makes any attempt to move.
(Watch and) Join the Discussion
Since the premiere of the play more than 50 years ago in Paris, it’s attracted all sorts of social, political, and theological interpretation, most of it centred on the cryptic Godot. For instance, the play was seen as an allegory of the Cold War or Ireland’s view of mainland Britain. And with a name like Godot, it’s not surprising that many would think Godot is a metaphor for God. But perhaps the real subject of this extraordinary text is not Godot, but waiting.
Waiting for Godot is running 19-23 November 2014 at SOTA Drama Theatre. Tickets start at $58, excluding booking fee. For more information and tickets, see SISTIC.
Written by Emily S