Worth the Wait – Galgut Delivers Godot at the Intimate
24 May 2010 1 Comment
in Uncategorized Tags: David Isaacs, Graham Weir, Oscar Petersen, The Intimate Theatre
David Isaacs and Oscar Petersen as Gogo and Didi? Fine. I’ll admit it. Joe Barber was on my mind. Was this to be Beckett taken to the barbershop? The puns abound, but, in this case, I’m happy to say this one was simply (forgive me!) a cut above the rest.
Godot is billed as a tragicomedy, and director Damon Galgut has treated both elements with respect and attention. Galgut has not fought with the text, letting it play out its eternal wait without interference from overly fussy stage business or set. This being said, I found the costume choices disconcerting to say the least. The concept of clowning was taken rather literally, with over-zealous colourful patching of the traditional black suits, but this is no doubt a matter of personal taste. I felt strongly, however, that Petersen should certainly have removed his wedding ring – inappropriately pointing as it does to the passing of time and plot (and, indeed, a possibly heterosexual commitment). I do hope this was an opening night oversight and has since been rectified.
Isaacs and Peterson gave their characters all the nuance and pathos the roles required whilst still bringing forward the inherent humour in the text. Petersen had a few shaky moments, particularly in the second half, but overall both gave excellent performances, their chemistry and timing all feeling very natural. Martin le Maitre’s Pozzo was magnificent – starting out a sort of sadistic circus ringmaster, complete with booming voice, fob watch and whip, slowly growing more confused and less articulate until reduced to utterly helpless, wordless writhing on the floor.
Lucky is a terribly hard role to play – for most of the play the actor must bear the dual burden of both verbal silence and physical strain. When the actor is finally allowed to speak, it is a manic stream of profundity - some of the most eloquent and painful text in the play. Graham Weir’s body spoke eloquent volumes when his words could not. His explosive moment of ‘thinking’ was heart-wrenching and beautiful and painful. His performance was a masterpiece.
Absurdism ain’t for everyone – there’s no doubt that existentialism can be exhausting. Even Estragon famously cries out, “Nothing happens, nobody comes, nobody goes, it’s awful!” If you can bear the pain of souls stripped bare to reveal nothing (and in that nothing see everything), if you can bear the futility of existence, if you can bear to live at all, see Galgut’s rendition of Godot. It’s worth the wait.
‘Waiting for Godot’ runs Tuesdays through Saturdays at the Little Theatre from May 18 to June 5 at 7.30pm. Bookings can be made on 021 480 7129. Tickets are R85.
