Wading Through Godot

rltlcs are strange creatures. Who Is Godot? He Is as C Conalder this cycle: First they mysterious as God. He Is a reason moan that art Is too repetitive and lo walt and go nowhere. He could derivative of its convention. Then be the savior for the confused pro­ when a work comes along that's tagonists, Vladimir (Mark Blakeney) really different, they crucify it. and Estragon (Richard Slocum). He Then, maybe 10 years down the could provide them with jobs and road, they resurrect and deify the security, but we know that he will thing. Finally, If anyone should try never come. They know It, too, but to treat the deified piece as they would rather hope. anything other than a holy relic, Nothing much happens In this those who first crucified it will cry play, except the waiting. An absurd most bitteriy about attempts to · man, Pozzo (Sterilng Houston), In­ revivify it. _ terrupts the waiting as he enters · It has been 35 years since with his more absurd servant, Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot Lucky (Juan Gutierrez). Pozzo Is a . first took to a stage, and the same predatory rich man, a man of ac­ play critics used to call Incom­ tion who doesn't know why he acts prehensible Is now being regarded but certainly does a lot of it. Lucky as a holy monstrance under attack Is abused, and probably crazy, but · by two actors, Robin Williams and bound to his master In some Steve Martin, who are daring to ad twisted attraction. . lib during a· revival run on Bro.ad- . The play Is unreal In the way of a . way. Curious. But I suspect that realistic dream. Time Is uneven even as all the howling reaches a and qulfkY. Changes In characters· crescendo, Beckett Is smiling, un­ do not seem reasonable but are ac­ concerned .about this latest tum In cepted nonetheless. All of this the Godot saga. . . would be quite distressing and A play isn't a play until it's per­ depressing, except that Beckett formed. A script Is just a blueprint. · doesn't .trap the characters in their Every performance has a life of its· · · present state-they trap own, about two and a half hours themselves. The Implication Is that long. That is how It should be. they ·can also free themselves. And Besides; S.Ckett is a brilll•ntly If they stand for humanity at large, comic writer, drawing laughs from then Beckett's theme Is a positive the verj foundations of existence. one: There Is hope If we abandon Who better to reinterpret him but hopeless beliefs. Freedom Is not two of the finest comics alive? · conferred upon us, It must be But that production is sold out asserted and acted upon. for Its entire run, so think about This Is a must-see, so make a this: Godot Is alive and well at the note. It runs Nov. 18-19 and Nov. 24th Street Experiment, Theater 25-26 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $10. West at Our Lady of the Lake Call 435-2103 for reservatlons.­ University. TOM CHAMBERLAIN ---- . • ·_. i;;; •..:n.. ~ ~"" -~ ...... ~ ..... ~-...... _~ ~ SAl'•fANTONIO LIGHT SUNDAY 20, 1988

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\ TlME-to"'luLL: Mark Bl.akeney, left, plays Vladimir and Sterling Houston is Pozzo in " Waiting For Godot." I. f eckett~s est

Tragic, ludicrous play, deemed both · a mas~erpiece and a hoax, turns 40

By STEVE BENNETT . Pozzo the charming slavedriver and Lincoln Center subscri'~ers) , so cancel Staff reporter Lucky his unlucky slave; as did the boy, those reservations to New York. who appears at the end of each act car­ 24th Street's production doesn't have t's been said that the only real rying the message that Godot, once the big names, but it is, in Estragon's choice In iife is whether to commit again, cannot make it .- "but surely words, " tray bong, tray bong, tray suicide. In the final moments of tomorrow." bong." Joining Slocum are Mark Samuel Beckett's "Waiting for In celebration of Godot's 40th, direc- Blakeney as Vladimir, Sterling Houston r Godot," Estragon (with his trou- as Pozzo, Juan Gutierrez as Lucky and s around his ankles) and his com- Joseph Slocum as the boy. Steven panionI of 50 years, Vladimir, d~ide Wooldridge is directing. (It is the third Al'i rather matter~of-factly not to kill local production of "Waiting for Godot'' themselves. · Slocum and Wooldridge have collabo­ Vladimir: We'll bang ourselves to- If you look at the play rated on.) The run has been extended morrow. (Pause.) Unless Godot comes. from the point of view to Dec. 3. Estragon: And if be comes? The Irish-born Beckett, who has Vladimir. We'll be saved, of a wordsmitb, it is lived most of his life in France, wrote EStragon: Well? Shall we go? an incredible piece of "Waiting for Godot'' quickly - over a "It's l,l tragic and ludicrous and silly period of four months in 1948-49 .. (It and goofy moment," says Ric Slocum, work. was written in French, no less, "be· who plays Estragon in the 24th Street cause it was easier to avoid art" using a Experiment's currently running pro­ -RIC SLOCUM second language, the author later said.) duction of the play. 24th Street Experiment Initially, the play was resoundingly re­ Tragic, ludicrous, silly, goofy - that artistic director jected by producers; it finally pre­ pretty much sums up what is consid· miered in Paris in 1953. Critics were ered a masterpiece of the 20th-century ~g kind. Even Jean Anouilh, leader of the theater. Add contusing and you've got old guard of the Rrench theater, called it. it "a masterpiece that will cause de­ "If you're sitting in your seat laugh­ tor Mike Nichols is staging an all-star spair· for men in general and for play­ ing because you don't know what's go­ production - Robin Williams, Steve wrights in particular." ; ing on onstage, that should seem all Martin, F. Murray Abraham, Bill Irwin, Overnight, Beckett was transformed : right," says Slocum. Lucas Haas- of "Waiting for Godot" at from an ex-college professor struggling Godot, the faceless savior who never Lincoln Center in New York. The entire to get his writing before the public in!o . arrives, turned 40 this year, as did the run was sold out hours after tickets what one French critic in 1953 called . tramps Estragon and Vladimir; as did went on sale (a lottery was held among Please turn to BECKETI/ K3

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I ...... ----- ...... ~ ~~ "'--'------~- Beckett's bums . Sterling Houston (left) and Mark Blakeney star in 24th Street Experiment's 'Waiting For Godot' Friday and Saturday at Our Lady of the Lake University. c" - !t

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'Godot' a modern classic that must be seen

By JASMINA WELLINGHOFF Theater critic Almost everyone has heard of Samuel Beckett and his famous play "Waiting for Godot," but rel­ fttively few Americans have actu­ ally seen it. Now the 24th Street Experiment has given us another chance to do so, and you really owe it to yourself to see what has become a truly universal modern classic. · Labeled "absurdist" by critics, "Godot" is basically a philosophi­ cal work that reflects its author's and any thinking individual's con­ scious dilemma: If we do not know of a valid frame of refer­ ence for existence, how do we' confront life In this chaotic UNEASY HUMOR: Mark Blakeney, left, and ·sterling Houston await "Godot." world? Beckett had .no more of an an­ the role, resonating as they do Gutierrez, who plays Lucky, must swer than the rest of us, but he with a fatalistic undertone that WAITING FOR GODOT be congratulated for going all out penned a whimsically unsettling balances every hopeful or even WHEN: 8 p.m. Friday~ Saturday through to convey the grotesqueness of play that jolted critics, and later Dec. 3. the role. He groans and grunts neutral thing he says. WHERE: Theater West, OLLU campus. audiences, all over Europe in the When we meet them, this shab­ TICKETS: $10. Call 435-2103. like a pig while executing Pozzo's '50s, and eventually disturbed by pair is passing the time at the outrageous orders. But despite American sensibilities as well. foot of a liretess tree somewhere I "The Importance of Being Earnest" Pozzo's arrogance and Lucky's to­ Presently, the Lincoln Center by a country road. Although they reviewjPage D14 tal submission, they are as much Theater in New York is also doing believe they are waiting for "Mr. In the dark as the two tramps. a revival, to be followed by a new Godot," whose arrival will some­ control over their lives. "Let's film version with the same cast. how represent salvation, they are abuse each other," suggests "Who is Godot?" Beckett was In the Experiment's current in­ not at all sure that Godot has Estragon with a childishly hope­ asked in an interview. "If I knew I carnation directed by Steven promised to come or even of who ful smile, when hurling insults would have said so in the play,'' Wooldridge, Ric Slocum - himself be Is. A young boy (Joseph Slo­ seems to do the trick for a while. was his answer. Yet, Intuitively better known as director than ac~ cum) repeatedly visits them with we all know who Godot Is, or at - tor - shows his excellent acting a cryptic promise that Godot The play is shot through with least who we wish him to be. skill in the role of Estragon, one might come tomorrow. uneasy humor. Into Estragon's Beckett's parable with no mes­ of Beckett's bums waiting for the Meanwhile, Estragon and Vla­ and Vladimir's waiting come two sage has a message for us after mysterious Godot. The other one, dimir cope with the little things of .strange characters, Pozzo (Ster­ all. It-doesn't come In the form of Vladimir, is portrayed by Mark their meager existence, trying to ling Houston) and Lucky, a man an answer, but as a question eaclt Blakeney, whose voice and de­ Invent something - anything - Pozzo has enslaved to the point of viewer must phrase for meanor are perfectly suited to that would give them a sense of turning him into an animal. Juan him/herself.

~ ------~------~------SAN ANTONIO LIGIIT SUNDAY, NOVEMDER 20, 1988/ltl Company's future 'Godot' revival opens with all-star cast - By FREDERICK M. WINSHIP not at all certain UPI Senior Editor NEW YORK - Mike Nichols' long-awalled By STEVE BENNEn "It was an exciting posslbltlty, 40th anniversary revival of "Waiting lor Godot" Staff reporter but It turned out to be disruptive to has opened with an all-star casllhal makes this what we normally do. We decided enigmatic comedy as re.levanllo a society !hal .~ Like Estragon and Vladimir, Ric · to go back to Our Lady or the Lake threatens to destroy Its own atmosphere as It j,nd Pam Slocum are waiting. , (University, where 24th Street Is was to a generation that theatened to destroy lis •= Artistic director and general based) and do what we do best." own planet. if>a~ager, respectively, ol the 24th Which Is plays like Samuel Wrllten by Irish-born French playwright F._lreet Experiment, the ·Siocums Beckett's "Waiting lor Godot," cur­ Samuel Beckett In 1948 In the morning or the eire reassessing lhelr commitments rently running on the company's Nuclear Age, "Walling lor Godot'' was a shock­ t• the company they helped round OLLU Theater West stage. er thai unnerved critics and sent puzzled audi­ ,even years ago. . The rest or tbe 24th Street sea­ ences home at Intermission when llrsl staged In ~ Pam Slocum has resigned the son, however, Is a question mark. the 1950s. Gradually It has taken on the aura or ieneral managership, el!ecltve the "Mother Goose's Bebop Christmas" a classic or postwar realism, Its characters have ,-nd ol December. "Managing I! will open Dec. 5, Slocum said. But become cultural Icons. and Its author was hon­ ~ul," she says. She would ltke to he won't commit to the opera pro­ ored wllh the Nobel Prize lor Literature In 1979. ~ntlnue acting. i ductlon "The Boor," set for Janu­ The revival opened at the Mitzi Newhouse ·!! The 241h Street board, mean• ary. And tben there's ''The Tem­ Theater Nov. &, live years alter It was llrst con­ jihlle, Is lormlng a search commit, pest" taler In the spring. ceived by Tony Award-winning director Nich­ ~e to lind a new manager. "I'll probably do that no matter ols, who Is bolh producer and director. It Is the ,; And when you ask Ric Slocum what because I just want to do 'The lirst revival or "Godol" In New York since Ber­ pbout his status, he says he Is arlls· Tempest,'" he said. "I have a one­ lin's Schiller Theater company performed the tic director "lor right now." hour cutting ol II, and I'd like to do play allhe Brooklyn Academy nearly 10 years ;: "We don't know what we're going It with lois or music and masks and ago . .to do." he says. puppets." II Is having only a live-week run because or · Basically, the Slocums leelaban- Slocum Is a tenured !acuity the stars' commllmenls to other projects and · doned by !he board. member at OLLU, so he's no! going has become the hottest ticket in town. The !he­ ALL STARS: Actors and the director or the Lukas Haas, 12, left, joins Bill irwin, Robin "We've just made some major tar II be decides to leave 241h aler's 291 seats have been divided among Lin­ revival or " Wailing lor Godot" enjoyed the Williams, Steve Martin, director Mike Nichols; changes over here," Ric Slocum Street - which would likely be a coln Center Theater's 36,500 subscribers by lot­ recent opening-night recepllon In New Vorl<. and F. Murray Abraham. said. "We've given up an alternate death blow to the company. II a tery, llmlllng availability or tickets to the th eater space. We've given up our break does come. he will talk to general public lo returns available allhe box or­ human condition. But along the way we are en· lowing In despair. He Is nearly matched in his manager. Our lull-lime stall Is OLLU olllclals about producing flee on performance day. terlalned by the resourcefulness or !he hobos, performance by Oscar Award-winning actor F. down to one, !rom a high or live this shows like "The Tempest." The show may be taped lor television and · Estragon and Vladimir, In passing !he time unlll Murray Abraham ("Amadeus") In the role or • summer. And the theater-In-the· there Is talk of bringing It to Broadway at a taler their salvation, in which they llrmly seem to be­ Pozzo, a passerby who may be a member or the classroom program has been cut." "Much depends on the (24th dale when !he cast Is again available. Beckett lieve desplle overwhelming evidence that they underworld on the lam or a ham actor wllh his The alternate space Slocum Street) board hiring a new general has made only a lew changes In the script, a ref­ are truly damned as Richard Wagner's " Flying dresser on a leash. ... spea ks or is the delunct 241h Street manager and gelling behind a erence lo Napa Valley Instead ol !he Macon · Dutchman." Abraham Is lasclnallng to behold, cruel to his Downtown. Earlier this month, the strong. dynamic flye-year plan," wine region or France and !he use or " liberal" "slave" Lucky, played wllh resenllul resigna­ board voted no! to renew lis six- Slocum said. (The plan, Mogas as an Invective Insult. Eslragon Is played by Robin Williams as a tion by Bllllrwln,lhe MacArlhur Fellowship ac­ month lease on the downtown the- says, has been written. "Unfortu­ "Godol" Is a play about two hobos who have manic depressive eternally buoyed by the emp­ tor-playwright, and condescending lo Eslragon ' ater space that opened six months nately," he said, "with a volunteer been wandering the world for 50 years as com­ ty opllmlsm ol Vladimir, played by Steve Marlin and Vladimir. When Pozzo reappears In the sec· ago. The plan was to mount popular organization, we don't get It all panions, passing the time In clownish antics, wllh the same linesse he displayed as a Cyrano­ ond act, old and blind, he makes II pllllully clear shows, aUrae! throngs, make buck- done.") chewing !he tal, and cheerfully walling lor style character in the recent film, "Roxanne.'' thalli Is Lucky who will lead him to the lowest . els of money. In the mean lime, the board pres- something lo happen, allhough It Is clear noth­ Williams Is a wonderful comic wllh a Ia len! lor circle or hell, a reversal or the master-slave . · "II was not Pollyanna-Ish, but It !dent Is trying to mend lences. Ing will. Their latest ploy lo make It through one lovable horseplay !hat Is a perlect loll lor Mar­ relationship. was very opllmlsllc," board Prest- "Ric Is very much In place as di­ more day without committing suicide Is to watt tin's more reserved comic style. That this production Is • d en! Richard Mogns says or the rector," he said. " We're no! looking for a mysterious character named Godot. Martin doesn't steal !he show but he domi­ never for a moment boring Is a tribute to Its ! downtown expansion plan . .. It for anyone else. We want him to Godot never arrives and the play ends as pes· nates II with graceful elegance, perlect timing, great cast, great production team and grea~ .~ldn ' l work out lor us. continue In the poslllon." slmisllcally as It began, a truly bleak view or the and sweet tolerance of Estragon"s vulgar wal· director. BECKETI: It's been called depressing, but its protagonists don't give up

speech) abouf? Simple, Slocum there wllh his pants around his an ­ wllh religious Imagery, all kinds of BECKETT/ from Kl While some reviewers thought WAITING FOR GODOY ·:one or loday's best playwrlghls." !he play Important and profound, says. k.les, !hey do not give up, !hey do metaphysica l Imagery. Bring your , The play did not rare as well In others were not at all enamorf'd WHAT: 24th Str eet Expe ri ment " ll's about people who are wail- not pull !he plug. The !hough! or own Icons and you will find a place production of Samuel Beckett·s modern ing for Godot. He never comes. hanging th emselves Is not taken se· for them th ere somewhere. The England - until crlllc Harold Hob­ with Beckett's work. "I have St! l­ classic. son argu ed it might "securely lodge dom seen such meage r moonshine WHEN: 8 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Dec. " ll's an Image ol lite, or th e hu- rlously. H's sort or a joke. images are rich, yet there is never. If\ a corner or your mind as long as stated with such Inordinate fu ss," 2-3. man co ndition, reduced to Its bare " What Beckett does Is create an 'Oh, !his Is what the play Is about.' -y,ou live.·· Moving across the ocean wrote Wolcott Gibbs or the New WHERE: Theater West, Our lady of the essentials. They ca nn ot give up image, like th e Mona lisa. There Is Some people are bothered by !hal l ake Un l ve r ~i t y. th eir waiting even though th ey are . a lot of ambiguity. The play is rife amblgully.'' to !he United Slates, " Walling lor Yorker. Time said, " 'Godol' lac ks TICKETS: $ 10 general admission, $8 Godol'' opened In Miami In Janu­ any large crealiveness." Newsday students and senior citizens. Calf 435· not sure why they wait or who th ey · ary 1956. starring Bert Lahr (also Implied Beckett had lnlllaled a 2 103 fOf' reservations. are waiting for. ~ known as the Cowardly Lion). then "huge hoax." . ·· neckclt sa id that if he knew wh o ··wen! to Broadway In April. (The " 'Godot' lacks any large crea tive­ ater world wide In th e p as t ~ to yea rs. Godot was he would"ve sa id so in old joke is th at cob drivers made a ness." Newsday implied Beckett Th e G r ove P r ess ed itio n of !he play." for1unr hnuline r'IH 7.7 1Pct th Prtt r rro- h

speech) about? Simple, Slocum there with his panls around his an­ BECKETT/ from Kl White some reviewers though! WAITING FOR GODOT with religious Imagery, all kinds or '.'one or today·s best playwrights." the play Important and profound, says. kles, they do not give up, they do metaphysical Imagery. Bring your , The play did not fare as well In others were not at all enamortd WHAT: 24th Street Experiment " ll's about people who are walt- not pull the plug. The thought of own Icons and you will lind a place Pfoductlon of Samuel Beckett's modern lng lor Godot. He never comes. hanging themselves Is not taken se- England - unlll crlllc Harold Hob- with Beckelt's work. "I have sel­ classic. for them there somewhere. The son argued It might "securely lodge dom seen such meager moonshine WHEN: 8 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Dec. " ll's an Image ot life, or !he hu- rlously. ll's sort or a joke. Images are rich, yet there Is never. i.n a corner of your mind as long as stated with such Inordinate fuss," 2-3. man condition, reduced to Its bare "What Beckett does Is create an 'Oh, this Is whal lhe play Is about' .y,ou live." Moving across lhe ocean wrole Wolcott Gibbs or the New WHERE: Theater West, Our l ady of the esse ntials. They cannot give up image, like the Mona Usa. There Is Some people are bothered by that lake University. to lhe United Slates, " Walling lor Yorker. Time said, "'Godot' Jacks TICKETS: S I 0 general admission. $8 their waiting even !hough they are , a lot or ambiguity. The play Is rile ambiguity." Godot'' opened In Miami In Janu- any large creativeness." Newsday students and senior citizens . Call 435- not sure why they walt or who they · ary 1956. starring Bert I..ahr (also Implied Beckett had Initiated a 2103 fot reservations. are waiting for. · · \ known as the Cowardly Lion), then •·huge hoax." . "Beckelt said that if he knew who ··went to Broadway In April. (The " 'Godot' lacks any large creative- ater worldwide In the pasl•IO years. Godot was be would've said so in the play." ON 'AVONriS/t'll old joke is th ai ca b drivers made a ness." Newsday Implied Beckett The Grove Press edition or 3 fortune hauling puzzled Jheatergo- had Initiated a "huge hoax." "Waiting lor Godot'' has sold mll- ers home during Intermission.) "I don'tthlnk Beckett was putting lions or copies, and Beckett was theOne character interpretallon lurking Is around!hat Godot the, ~---~s:s~6~1~' 0:l~1l:~:· U:l'l::/\=~------:-­ 1 one over on us, as has been suggest- awarded th e Nobel Prize for Llter­ fringes of lhe play, represents the _j ed," Slocum says. "II you look at ature in 1969. His most famous play future. Wrlllen just alter World ~ the play from the point of view of a has bee n translated into two dozen War II, during lhe dawn or the nu- - . OtNO.LNV NVS wordsmllh, It Is an Incredible piece languages, and It Is sa le to say that clear age, the play nol only re!lecls J.ll!>tl - of work. Those pages or short ex- on any given day "Wailing lor a world torn apart but a certain changes between Estragon and Godot'' Is being performed - al a sense of "What does the future -·vladimir - that stuff Is extremely high school, in a prison, on the hold?" difficult to write. If you don't think Broadway stage- somewhere. "A lol of people say Beckell is de· so, just try 11 . Becke it spent some Bul what is this play with lis slark pressing - and maybe he Is," Slo­ time getting all the lillie lwlsJS and set (one tree ) and ils exhausling cum sn id. "But even there at the turns In there. And that argues wordplay (exemplified by lucky's end, when Estragon is standing against the Idea or a hoax." ___- Of course, hoax or no hoax. the r ----­ I pl ay has become a staple of th e th e- ;24th Street1s \:Uodot:~: sontething fro:m ~nothing~ body and mind. the material and the of contrac:UCUons and Insults, are de· I 8y DAN R. GODDARD spiritual sides of man, with, the Intel­ rtved from the cross-talk cOmedians h pren -News Art! Wnlet" lect suhordinate to the appetites of of music halls. At one point. Vladimir · Toward the end of Act lin Samuel the body. In a larger sense, Pozzo notes, "It's worse than being at the lleckett's "Waiting for Godot," the and Lucky embody the very prtnct- theater." Estragon wrestles with his tramp F.stragon su ms up the action boots In a scene that might have succinctly, "Nothing happens, nobody ft~~. ~P~~~~~rv=:~f~er~~~~~~~~ come from Chapli n's "The Gold comes, nobody goes, It's awful.'' society with Its comforts and delu­ Rush." They try on and trade three Essentially, that Is what happens, sions. - bowler hats in complete confusion. but Beckett's masterpiece does away Clearly superior Far from bleak and pessimistic, 0 "Godot" Is filled with farce, tomfool­ Though cut off from this society, ery and generous humor. ~~.he~~:n~a7~!~r:n~ ~~~~t~ ~ Estragoo and Vladimir are clearly purpose of man's existence? SO, It's not surprising that "Wait­ 0 1 Ing for Godot." with two leading cine­ ~\';'~a! ~':'h~rJt~'Ui .": malic clowns, Steve Martin and im~~~t:nfh1~ ~ ~~~~ ~ t~c ~~ because they are no longer blinded century," said Richard Slocum, the Robin WIUiams. Is currently the hot­ · by reason. beauty or truth. Unlike test ticket In New York. 24th Street Experiment's artistic di­ t.ucky and Pozzo, they do not beUeve rector who plays Estragon in the While tickets to the 24th Street's current production at Our Lady of ~w~"U'ia~::~gal:."do-r::fir~ version are not nearly so hard to the Lake University's Theater West nothing more than IUusion when come by, this productloo directed by "I think Beckett took the human compared with the relentless· action Steven Wooldridge is much more , equation and reduced It to Its bare faithful to Beckett's intent. "Waiting · essentials. of time. . • Vet there 18 also the danger of ~ for Godot".ls an outstanding example ·.. " fo~ or no matter how bleak and am· 1 of the artlstic exceUence, vtston and biguous things are, Estragon and Cast In the 24th Street Experiment's 'Waiting for Goclot' are (from left) Juan Gut­ ~J~o;,e~hl~ ::;;:~o::!e:t:J ~ell ambition that make the 24th Street .Vladimir never take SIE' riously the OP.­ aa simple entertalnmeot with Unka to so Important to San Anionlo. · Uon to commit suicide. 'Jbey con· Ierrez as Lucky, Mark Blakeney as Vladimir and Sterling Houston as Pono. vaudeville, the ctrcua and American "Walling lor Godot" continues . . Unue to wait. And I think anyone llorough Nov. %8 at 8 p.m. Fo;ldays­ renew the $26,000-a-year contract for tence In Augustine. I wish I cooJd re- both/and unities. In "Godot." the JM!­ silent inovles. who dismisses the reUglous symhol­ With theU: bowler bats and bums' Saturilays at Our Lady of the Lake :tsm misses the point entirely. Of Theater In the Classrooms, an lnno- member the Latin. Ills even finer In laritles are striking: Walt or neil University's Theater West. 411 S. W. vatlve, much-praised educational LaUn than ln E~ 'Do not de walt· Godot wt11 come or Godot wW ~~!~e~::mc=u~=~ 24th Sl Tickets are $10 adults and $8 ~ ~ ~~~~it~wiea~~~; 'e t;guPf!ke~r:~~ protreegrat'smannanduala blggehlunk of the 24th spair: One of the t eves was saved not rome; one thief waa blessed. the Little Tramp. Their exchanges. lull 9enlors. -%103. 0 S budJ Do not presume: One of the thieves other cursed; Estragon is 1magtna- ~~u~~l~~~~:t.t lh~';f~~ ~~~ Douf1 Boyer, the musical director was damned.' I am Interested in the · lion, Vladimir Is logic; P0121> Is body, ..l-,:;--:-::-:--::--::-- ---::====::;;::;;::;;::;;=====:::-- That's why every other play written prtmarily responsible for the musical shape of Ideas even If I do not be- Lucky Is mind. I · in this century just sort of queues up behind it." :;:t~~~sitfru~~~t~Te!a~t ~ e~~~et~~m ShaPe~: f:nt~;c~;! wJi:~~dr~~m::~~:cti~~ This Isn't the fi rst lime the 24th Austin. ClUng stress and burnout, that matters." tragon dreams, Vladfmir cannot ' Street, dedicated to modem liter ary Pam Slocum, the managing director, The theme of the two thieves cru- stand hearing ahout dreams. Vladi­ · drama, has staged Beckett's best· rtoerslgnedurt aBioartngewitt.thCuassrrenlsttlayn, tthdie.rtehec-- cified with Jesus, one damned by m.lr has stinking breath, Estragon known play, but San Antonio theater Laur 11 making a hosWe remark and the has stlnkin~ feet. afutellrtohmase beposlgunlloan seltacrachn fstillo~ thaeffoonrly other saved by a kJnd word, the un- In the Hnal scene, the tramps an- . k'f::~~a~~~ l~r ~o~:; ~t~ r~pr1~ d, certainty of salvation and the prom- nounce they wtll go, but do not move. .. appeal to larger audiences with a m~.nTheaglng dlreardctohras. reafform· ed Its lsc of grace, pervades the play. Vlad- F1naUy, Beckett makes clear there Is downtown theater and a string of bo imir notes the stakes right at the be· no separateness between mind and commitment to producing expert- ginning: "One of the thieves was matter, blessedness and damnation, . ~ . ~:~~~ tTo~~:'s~: .. ~c-l~~~Y ·~!~~ mental drama. But. of course, we saved ... It's a reasonable percent- going or staying. The two tramps .. Is Alice" and "The Fantasticks," the started doing more popular fare in age." The two tramps exist In limbo, may talk of separating. but they re­ .· . .24th Street is fighting for Its survival. order to make more money to sup- neither "saved" nor "damned." They main together to ensure their sur- ·· would be dim ru~ :rd _e~.'W~~: ~:;-ug~~w~~~~h are unable to leave, consequently un- vtval , ~ ~ Without the 24th Street, the Sa n some major changes since May, and ~~~~!b% e~o~e~!~t~;irb~; ti e~~~ c~~~~~:t~~~u::::C~: .. , .Antonio theater scene would be de· 1 ~e~~:/;~~~ ~e~:eh:r:~ ~~~ po~ of Beckett's plays are con- ~C: ~~o::d ~~~~~fJ~~~:Je: ·- ~~~~.ffrYm~rn .a~~ctc.:':ill~ ~~~ aging director In place, I think we structed according to a system of rez) his submissive slave Many crtt longing plays performed by profes­ w1ll survive. Alter all, artlstically, antit hesis In which eit he r / or lcs have noted that pozzO and Luck; sional'i. 'Waiting for Godot' is definitely the dichotomies are transformed into represent the relationship between Last year at this time, the theater sort or show I would much rather be was on a roll. Jt~o ll owing the hit musl­ doing." 1·:;. ;;:=:::--======-======~ c

\ 'Godot' boys find time to laugh while they wait ;~ . ; stai- he played in "A Life in the Thea­ Waiting, of course, Is the central But it's Gutierrez who ·has tiM! ' y DAN R. GODDARD human experience, when we are most disturbing scenes as the unfor­ express-News Arts Writer ter" last year, his decrepit debonairness is a perfect counter- most aware of the passage of time. tunate Lucky. When Pozzo asks .Rich in irony and humor, Samuel point to Slocum's whimsical futility. Review And waiting is the most important Lucky_to think, Gutierrez propels th~ Beckett's "Waiting for Godot" is a Costumer Lauri Bartlett has out­ point of the play. When Alan Schnei­ play into the shadowy realm of insan­ classic of modem theater that Is far fitted the players in choice rags and der, who directed the first American Ity, plunging into an abyss of rigi~ more amustng, entertaining and full Steve Bailey's lighting design bathes "WaHing tor Godot" by Samuel Beck­ production of "Godot," asked Beckett thought that combines all the worSt ett; director, Steven Wooldridge; assis­ or meaning than you might suspect the stage in eerie, gauzy sunlight that tant, Marion Herrera; lighting, Steve who or what was meant by Godot, aspects of Western philosophy anlt of this existential inquiry into the turns to mysterious moonlight in key Bailey; set, Richard Slocum; and cos­ the Irish/French playwright replied, religion. He Is a heartbreaking sym­ meaninglessness of existence. scenes. This production. is remarka- tumes, Lauri Bartlett. Through Nov. 26 "If I knew, I would have said so in bol of the ignorant masses, puppets Back home in Theater West at bly faithful to Beckett's script, and at 8 p.m.' Fridays-Saturdays at the plat" in the hands of their inasters . '' Our Lady of the Lake University, the allows the language to propel the ac- OLLU's Theater West , 4 I I S. W. 24th Their waiting Is interrupted, Steven Wooldridge has directed 24th Street Experiment has staged a tion rather than relying on contrived St. $10 adults. $8 seniors. 435-2103. thankfully, by the appearance of the with economy and grace. Hardly A Eatragon ...... Richard Stocum wonderfully engaging, though stark, staginess and elaborate props. Yllldlmlr ...... Mark Blakeney wealthy Pozzo (Sterling Houston), moment is wasted in a play that production of "Godot." Much funnier Like contemporary versions of Pozzo ...... Sterling Houston who uses a whip to drive his slave seems to be about' nothing at all Yet, than Beckett's "Endgame" presented Charlie Chaplin's Little· Tramp, the Luc:ky ...... Juan Gutierrez Lucky (Juan Gutierrez) to market. there is a deep river of meaning nih­ a couple of seasons back, this show two bums rmx vaudeville tricks, such A boy ...... Joseph Slocum Houston's Pozzo is a fiendishly Ding through this 20th-c~ntury mas­ has more bathos than pathos, more as the confustng ·trading of bowler clever indictment of the uncaring terpiece, tumbling over wonderful vaudeville than tragedy. hats, with fluid exchang~ of Beck• they have nothing tO" do but u5e lan­ rich, and the actor imbues him with ·rapids of comedy and irony. Uyo~ "Godot," starring Steve Martin ett's seamless_dialogue. Waiting un­ guage to fend off the annihilation of sneaky charm. Houston makes the care about. good theater, you woh t and Robin Williams, Is currently a der a sickly, tree ori the bare stage, silence that threatens them. most of one of his best roles yet. minct "Waitirig for Godot." smash on Broadway, and tickets are lL- scarcer than snow in Bexar County. Sadly, you won't have any trouble making reservations for the 24th 1 Street's "Godot," but this Is still one l of the best productions of the year. Richard Slocum, 24th Street's ar­ tistic .director, Is making a rare -ap­ pearance as the bum EStragon, also known as Gogo. Droll, emotion!ll and suffering (rom stinking feet, Slo- · cum's Estragon is hilarious in his an- guish. Mark Blakeney is his more practi· cal friend, V1adirJlif, also known as I · Dldl. As always, Blakeney is cool, de- : lached and aloof. Although his per­ sona Is llttle different from the smug- . I SAN ANTON IO LI GIIT f11t•Q SUN DAY, NOVEMO ER 20, 1988fK3 I Company's future 'Godot' revival opens with all-star cast

By FREDERICK M. WINSHIP not at all certain UPI Senior Editor NEW YORK - Mike Nichols' long-awaited By STEVE BENNEn " It was an exciting possibility, 401h anniversary revival oi"Waltlng lor Godot" Staff reporter but It turned out to be disruptive to has opened with an all-star cast that makes this what we normally do. We decided enigmatic comedy as re)evant to a society that ,.:. Like Eslragon and Vladimir, Ric · to go back to Our Lady of the Lake threatens to destroy Its own atmosphere as It ind Pam Slocum are waiting. , (University, where 24th Street Is was to a generation that thealened to destroy Its ·: Artistic director and general based) and do what we do best." own planet. lt>anager, respectively, or the 24th Which Is plays like Samuel Written by Irlsh·born French playwright F.treet Experiment, the Slocums Beckett's " Walling lor Godot," cur· Samuel Beckett In 1948 In the morning of the !~Te reassessing their commitments rently running on the company's Nuclear Age, "Walling lor Godot'' was a shock· jo !he company they helped found OLLU Theater West stage. er that unnerved criUcs and sent puzzled audi· ,tven yea~ ago. . The rest of the 24th Street sea· ences home allnlermlsslon when first staged In ~ Pam Slocum has resigned the son, however, Is a question mark. the 1950s. Gradually It has taken on the aum of ieneral managership, effective the " Mother Goose's Bebop Christmas" a classic of postwar realism, Its characters have ~nd of December. "Managing Is will open Dec. 5, Slocum said. But become cultural Icons, and Its author was hon· · tlwrul," she says. She would like tci be won't commit to the opem pro· ored wllh the Nobel Prize lor Literature In 1979. ~ntinue acting. • ductlon "The Boor," sel lor Janu· The revival opened at the Mitzi Newhouse ·:: The 24th Street board, mean• ary. And then there's ''The Tern· Theater Nov. 6, live years alter It was first con· jfhlle, Is forming a search com mil• pest" later In the spring. celved by Tony Award-winning director Nlch· Jee to lind a new manager. 'Til probably do thai no matter ols, who Is both producer and director. It Is the ;:. And when you ask Ric Slocum what because I just want to do 'The first revival oi"Godot" In New York since Ber· p1>out his status, he says he Is artls· Tempest; " he said. "I have a one· lin's Schiller Theater company performed the f tic director " lor right now." hour cutting ollt, and I'd like to do play at the Brooklyn Academy nearly 10 years ~; "We don't know what we're going II with lois of music and masks and ago. !-> .to do," he says. puppets." It Is having only a ltve-week run because of · Baslca lly,lhe Slocums leelaban· Slocum Is a tenured faculty the stars' commitments to other projects and t '' · doned by the board. member at OLLU, so he's not going has become the hottest ticket In town. The the· ALL STARS: Actors and the' director or the Lukas Haas, 12, left, joins Bill " We 've just made some major far II he decides to leave 24th ater's 291 seals have been divided among Lin· revival of " Waiting for Godot" enjoyed the Williams, Steve Martin, director Mike Nichols; changes over here," Ric Slocum Street - which would likely be a coin Center Theater's 36,500 subscribers by lot· recent opening-night reception In New York. and F. Murray Abraham. said. " We've given up an alternate death blow to the company. II a tery, limiting availability of tickets to the theater space. We've given up our break does come, he will talk to general public to returns available at the box of· human condition. But along the way we are en· lowing In despair. He Is nearly matched In his manager. Our full-time staff Is OLLU olllclals about producing fice on performance day. tertalned by the resourcefulness of the hobos, performance by Oscar Award·wlnnlng actor F. down to one. from a high of llvethls shows like "The Tempest." The show may be taped lor television and · Estragon and Vladimir, In passing the time until Murray Abraham ("Amadeus") In the role of • summer. And the theater-In-the­ there Is talk of bringing ltlo Broadway at a later their salvation, tn which they firmly seem to be· Pozzo, a passerby who may be a member of the classroom program has been cut." "Much depends on the (24th date when the cast Is again available. Beckett lleve despite overwhelming evidence that they underworld on the lam or a ham actor with his The alternate space Slocum Street) board hiring a new general has made only a lew changes In the script, a ref· are truly damned as Richard Wagner's "Flying dresser on a leash. ~ speaks of Is the defunct 24th Street manager and getting behind a erence to Napa Valley Instead of the Macon · Dutchman ... Abraham Is fascinating to behold, cruel to his Downtown. Earlier this month, the strong, dynamic live-year plan," wine region of France and the use or "liberal" "slave" Lucky, played with resentful reslgna· board voted not to renew Its shl::­ Slocum said. (The plan, Mogas as an Invective insult. Estragon Is played by Robin Williams as a lion by Bill Irwin, the MacArthur Fellowship ac· month lease on the downtown the­ says, has been written. " Unlortu· "Godot'' Is a play about two hobos who have manic depressive eternally buoyed by the emp­ tor-playwright, and condescending to Estragon ater space that opened six months nately," he said, "wllh a volunteer been wandering the world for 50 years as com­ ty optimism of Vladimir, played by Steve Martin and Vladimir. When Pozzo reappears In the sec· ago. The plan was to mount popular organization, we don't get It all panions, passing the time In clownish antics, with the same finesse he displayed as a Cyrano­ ond act, old and blind, he makes II pitifully clear shows, attract throngs, make buck· done.") chewing the fat, and cbeerlully waiting lor style character In the recent rum, "Roxanne." thalli Is Lucky who will lead him to the lowest . ets or money. In the meantime, the board pres· someth ing to happen, allhough ills clear noth· Williams Is a wonderful comic with a talent lor circle of hell, a reversal of the master-slave . · "It was not Pollyanna-Ish, but It ldent Is trying to mend fences. lng will. Their latest ploy to make It through one lovable horseplay that Is a perfect loll lor Mar· relationship. was very optimistic," board Presl· "Ric Is very much In place as dl· more day without commUting suicide Is to walt tin's more reserved comic style. That this production Is dent Ri chard Mogas says of the rector;· he said. "We're not looking for a mysterious character named Godot. Martin doesn't steal the show but he doml· never for a moment boring is a tribute to its downtown expansion plan. "It for anyone else. We want him to Godot never arrives and th e play ends as pes­ nates It with graceful elegance, perfect liming, great cast, great production team and great _41dn 't work out for us. continue In the position." simistically as II began, a truly bleak view of the and sweet tolerance of Estragon's vulgar wal· director. BECKEIT: It's been called depressing, but its protagonists don't give up

speech) about? Simple, Slocum there with his pant< around his an· with religious Imagery, all kinds of BEC KETT; rrom Kl While some reviewers thought WAITING FOR GODOT ·:one of today's best playwrights." the play Important and profound, says. kles, they do not give up, they do metaphysical Imagery. Bring your , The play did not rare as well In others were not at all enamorPd WHAT: 24th Street E11periment "II's about peopl e who are wall· riot pull the plug. The thought of own icons and you will find a place produclion of Samuel Beckett 's modern Jng for Godot. He never comes. hanging th emse lves Is not taken se- for th em there somewhere. The E ngland - until critic Harold Hob· with Beckett's work. "I have st: l­ classic. son argued it might "securely lodge dom seen such meager moonshine WHEN: 8 p.m. Frk1ay, Saturday ond Dec. "lt's an image ot life, or th e hu- rlously. It's sort or a joke. images are rich, yet there Is never. In a corner or your mind as long as slated with such Inordinate fu ss," 2·3. man condition, redu ced to its bare " What Beckett does Is create an 'Oh, this Is what the play Is about.' .you live." Moving across the ocean wrole Wolcott Gibbs of the New WHERE: Theater West, Our Lady or the essentials. They cannot give up image, like the Mona Lisa. There Is Some people are bothered by thai lake University. their waiting even though they are .. a lot or ambiguity. The play Is rife ambiguity." to th e United Stales, " Walling lor Yorker. Time said, "'Godot' lacks TICKETS: $10 general admission, $8 Godot" opened In Miami In Janu· any large creativeness." Newsday students and senior citizens. Ca ll 435- not sure why th ey wait or who they · ary 1956, starring Bert Lahr (also Implied Becket! had Initialed a 2 I OJ for reservations. are wailing ror. · ~ known ns the Cowardly Lion), then "huge hoax," . " Bec kett said that if he knew who I ·went to Broadway In April. (The " 'Godot' lacks any large creative­ ater worldwide In th e pas t ~ to years. Godot was he would've sa id so in · old joke I ~ I hat cab drivers made a ness." Newsday Implied Beckett Th e G rove Press e dillon of th e play." fnrfll nP h fti!JiOf' 0 11 77 11"11 f hf'rtfl"ff'(\· h :-trt In !t in ted n " hu r.P hnnx" " \Vnlt in_g ror Godol" hns !'old mil- On e lnterprr lnt ion i!' th nt Godot. I I,

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By JASMINA WELLINGHOFF Theater critic Almost everyone has heard of Samuel Beckett and his famous play "Waiting for Godot," but rel­ fttively few Americans have actu­ ally seen it. Now the 24th Street Experiment has given us another chance to do so, and you really owe it to yourself to see what has become a truly universal modern classic. · Labeled "absurdist" by critics, "Godot" is basically a philosophi­ cal work that reflects its author's and any thinking individual's con­ scious dilemma: If we do not know of a valid frame of refer­ ence for existence, how do we' confront life In this chaotic UNEASY HUMOR: Mark Blakeney, left, and :sterling Houston await "Godot." world? Beckett had .no more of an an­ the role, resonating as they do Gutierrez, who plays Lucky, must swer than the rest of us, but he with a ·fatalistic undertone that WAITING FOR GODOT be congratulated for going all out penned a whimsically unsettling balances every hopeful or even WHEN: 8 p.m. Friday.-Saturday through to convey the grotesqueness· of play that jolted critics, ami later neutral thing he says. Dec. 3. the role. He groans and grunts WHERE: Theater West, OLLU campus. audiences, all over Europe in the . When we meet them, this shab­ nCKETS: $10. Call 435-2103. like a pig while executing Pozzo's '50s, and eventually disturbed by pair is passing the time at the outrageous orders. But despite American sensibilities as well. foot of a lifeless tree somewhere I "The Importance of Being Earnest" Pozzo's arrogance and Lucky's to­ Presently, the Lincoln Center by a country road. Although they review/Page 014 tal submission, they are as much Theater in New York is also doing believe they are waiting for "Mr. in the dark as the two tramps. a revival, to be followed by a new Godot," whose arrival will some­ control over their lives. "Let's film version with the same cast. how represent salvation, they are abuse each other," suggests "Who is Godot?" Beckett was , In the Experiment's current In­ not at all sure that Godot has Estragon with a childishly hope­ asfced in an interview. "If I knew I i carnation directed by Steven promised to come or even of who ful smile, when hurling insults would have said so in the play,'' - Wooldridge, Ric Slocum - himself he is. A young boy (Joseph Slo­ seems to do the trick for a while. was his answer. Yet, intuitively better known as director than ac~ cum) repeatedly visits them with we all know who Godot is, or at • tor - shows his excellent acting a cryptic promise that Godot The play is shot through with least who we wish him to be. skill in the role of Estragon, one might come tomorrow. uneasy humor. Into Estragon's Beckett's parable with no mes­ of Beckett's bums waiting for the Meanwhile, Estragon and Vla­ and Vladimir's waiting come two sage has a message for us after mysterious Godot. The other one, dimir cope with the little things of .strange characters, Pozzo (Ster­ all. ltdoesn't come In the form of Vladimir, is portrayed by Mark their meager existence, trying to ling Houston) and Lucky, a man an answer, but as a question eaclt Blakeney, whose voice and de­ lnv~nt something - anything - Pozzo has enslaved to the point of viewer must phrase for meanor are perfectly suited to that would give them a sense of turning him into an animal. Juan him/herself.

~ ------~------~------Beckett'-s bums Sterling Houston (left) and Mark Blakeney star in 24th Street Experiment's 'Waiting For Godot' Friday and Saturday at Our Lady of the Lake University.

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