Friday, June 4, 2010

Waiting for Godot (again)

Have just seen the latest South African incarnation of 'Waiting for Godot' at the Little Theatre. A memorable production of perhaps the twentieth century’s greatest play. Instructive to recognise how much 'Boesman and Lena' owes to 'Godot' – with the important difference that Gogo and Didi’s vulnerability and despair are part of an universal human condition, whereas Boesman and Lena’s predicament is (also) rooted in three centuries of colonial and racial oppression and exploitation. B&L has a very specific South African setting and resonance.
Perhaps the best short description of the play is that provided by an early (and rather bemused) critic, who complained: ‘Nothing happens, twice!’ (This is, of course, entirely the point.) But how entertainingly do Gogo and Didi pass the time! And how poignantly! Are we all just whistling in the dark?