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Post by Skankmonkey on Nov 6, 2015 15:15:16 GMT
...by Samuel Beckett. One of the most important plays of the 20th Century.
Playing at the New Vic theatre next week Tuesday 10 November–Saturday 14 November 2015.
Waiting for Godot
Vladimir and Estragon's experience will hold resonance for Stokies present during the years 1985-2008.
It's all here - the expectation, the dreams, the moments of wonder, the hopes, the dashed hopes, the black humour, the nostalgia, the despair. But most of all the reason we kept going. We could, after all, just do no other.
I'd also recommend watching the play to anyone who is spending any time pondering the meaning of life, asking what it is all about, wondering why we are here or is otherwise engaged in similar navel gazing activities. The play won't provide you with any answers at all, but it may just persuade you to stop searching and use your time more profitably. Hint: Life is for living.
Somewhat overblown trailer:-
And no, Godot isn't a metaphor for God. Or promotion back to the top flight come to that.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 6, 2015 16:25:20 GMT
Cracking play, seen it a few times. Might try and catch this one now you've mentioned it cheers mate.........
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Post by penkvillepotter on Nov 6, 2015 16:44:37 GMT
Seen a load of good stuff up the Vic in the last couple of years.
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Post by Skankmonkey on Nov 6, 2015 17:07:41 GMT
Cracking play, seen it a few times. Might try and catch this one now you've mentioned it cheers mate......... I first saw the TV adaptation with Max Wall in the 70's and it has stayed with me ever since. I try and catch it, and all Beckett, wherever it is on. It will be interesting to see how it will turn out in the round at the Vic. Hard to believe that we used to get works by Beckett (and Pinter!) on prime time TV at one time! |
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Post by derrida1437 on Nov 6, 2015 17:08:08 GMT
...by Samuel Beckett. One of the most important plays of the 20th Century.
Playing at the New Vic theatre next week Tuesday 10 November–Saturday 14 November 2015.
Waiting for Godot
Vladimir and Estragon's experience will hold resonance for Stokies present during the years 1985-2008.
It's all here - the expectation, the dreams, the moments of wonder, the hopes, the dashed hopes, the black humour, the nostalgia, the despair. But most of all the reason we kept going. We could, after all, just do no other.
I'd also recommend watching the play to anyone who is spending any time pondering the meaning of life, asking what it is all about, wondering why we are here or is otherwise engaged in similar navel gazing activities. The play won't provide you with any answers at all, but it may just persuade you to stop searching and use your time more profitably. Hint: Life is for living.
Somewhat overblown trailer:-
And no, Godot isn't a metaphor for God. Or promotion back to the top league probably...
Great book. Great play. |
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Post by Skankmonkey on Nov 10, 2015 14:10:42 GMT
Runs from tonight to Satdee.
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Post by cheeesfreeex on Nov 10, 2015 14:57:52 GMT
Funnily enough went past yesterday and me Mum said: "I'm going to see that with Irene on thursday, she says she's been to see it four times and still doesn't understand it, but loves it. She's bought me a ticket to see if I can make any sense of it. Is it set in a skip or something?"
She's getting quite cultural, but did refer to it later as 'Waiting for God'.
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Post by Skankmonkey on Nov 10, 2015 18:20:33 GMT
Funnily enough went past yesterday and me Mum said: "I'm going to see that with Irene on thursday, she says she's been to see it four times and still doesn't understand it, but loves it. She's bought me a ticket to see if I can make any sense of it. Is it set in a skip or something?" She's getting quite cultural, but did refer to it later as 'Waiting for God'. No skip, it's a pretty minimal stage set though. A small hillock with a tree. Beckett was unforthcoming about it. He described it as a joke. He did insist that Godot isn't God though. The famous critic's quote describes it well: "The play where nothing happens. Twice." I'd describe it as an existentialist examination of life portrayed using absurdist drama - with Becketts joke being that the search for any meaning to the play is as pointless as is the search for any meaning to life (in existentialism). Roughly! Just experience the ride and enjoy it for what it is. That works for me anyway. I enjoy the use of language and humour. I have the feeling you will enjoy that as well. There is even a knob gag of sorts! Oddly enough, we're going Thursday as well. |
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Post by cheeesfreeex on Nov 10, 2015 19:15:51 GMT
Funnily enough went past yesterday and me Mum said: "I'm going to see that with Irene on thursday, she says she's been to see it four times and still doesn't understand it, but loves it. She's bought me a ticket to see if I can make any sense of it. Is it set in a skip or something?" She's getting quite cultural, but did refer to it later as 'Waiting for God'. No skip, it's a pretty minimal stage set though. A small hillock with a tree. Beckett was unforthcoming about it. He described it as a joke. He did insist that Godot isn't God though. The famous critic's quote describes it well: "The play where nothing happens. Twice." I'd describe it as an existentialist examination of life portrayed using absurdist drama - with Becketts joke being that the search for any meaning to the play is as pointless as is the search for any meaning to life (in existentialism). Roughly! Just experience the ride and enjoy it for what it is. That works for me anyway. I enjoy the use of language and humour. I have the feeling you will enjoy that as well. There is even a knob gag of sorts! Oddly enough, we're going Thursday as well. Yeah. I've seen it a couple of times, it was a bit of a shock to hear me mum's going as she's the least existential/surrealist person I know and really can't imagine her sitting through it. If there's someone on thursday shouting 'Get on with it!!' that'll be her. I'd got it in me head that I'd seen a version with Ian McKellan in it. I just googled it and indeed he toured it with Patrick Stewart, but I'm not sure I was actually there.... I'm wondering whether this version was also televised at some stage, or maybe I just saw a Culture Show preview and it stuck in me head. Confused. I lived in Hull when John Godber and the Hull Truck Theatre Company were rising to their pomp. {Incidentally Philip Larkin was the Uni librarian.} Used to go to Theatre Clwyd in Mold quite a lot and saw a low key version of 'Waiting' there, but to my shame the last 'theatre' I saw in the round at the Vic was 'When the Wind Blows' some moons ago. The last 'production' I went to was a terribly trite 'Fields of Barley' thing at the Victoria Hall about five years ago. It put me off. I ought to pay more attention. |
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Post by dutchpeter72 on Nov 10, 2015 20:19:16 GMT
Waiting for Godot is subject of an amusing gag in the first episode of The Sweeney. Just thought you should know that  |
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Post by cheeesfreeex on Nov 10, 2015 20:27:25 GMT
Waiting for Godot is subject of an amusing gag in the first episode of The Sweeney. Just thought you should know that Just heard 'Waiting for Godot' mentioned on the radio in relation to the task facing Seb Coe too. |
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Post by Skankmonkey on Nov 10, 2015 21:26:32 GMT
No skip, it's a pretty minimal stage set though. A small hillock with a tree. Beckett was unforthcoming about it. He described it as a joke. He did insist that Godot isn't God though. The famous critic's quote describes it well: "The play where nothing happens. Twice." I'd describe it as an existentialist examination of life portrayed using absurdist drama - with Becketts joke being that the search for any meaning to the play is as pointless as is the search for any meaning to life (in existentialism). Roughly! Just experience the ride and enjoy it for what it is. That works for me anyway. I enjoy the use of language and humour. I have the feeling you will enjoy that as well. There is even a knob gag of sorts! Oddly enough, we're going Thursday as well. Yeah. I've seen it a couple of times, it was a bit of a shock to hear me mum's going as she's the least existential/surrealist person I know and really can't imagine her sitting through it. If there's someone on thursday shouting 'Get on with it!!' that'll be her. I'd got it in me head that I'd seen a version with Ian McKellan in it. I just googled it and indeed he toured it with Patrick Stewart, but I'm not sure I was actually there.... I'm wondering whether this version was also televised at some stage, or maybe I just saw a Culture Show preview and it stuck in me head. Confused. I lived in Hull when John Godber and the Hull Truck Theatre Company were rising to their pomp. {Incidentally Philip Larkin was the Uni librarian.} Used to go to Theatre Clwyd in Mold quite a lot and saw a low key version of 'Waiting' there, but to my shame the last 'theatre' I saw in the round at the Vic was 'When the Wind Blows' some moons ago. The last 'production' I went to was a terribly trite 'Fields of Barley' thing at the Victoria Hall about five years ago. It put me off. I out to pay more attention. The McKellan/Stewart production was 3 or 4 years ago now. I saw it in Milton Keynes. There or Malvern were the closest venues. There was a big hoo ha about it on TV at the time but I'm pretty certain it wasn't televised. Beckett and Pinter is the only theatre I do nowadays. I find something most years. There were 3 Beckett shorts including Rockaby on in Brum this time last year. That was pretty good. There's an annual early summer festival in Knockbreda(??) that I'm aiming to get to at some point. I bet your mum saw the Max Wall TV adaptation in the 70's. That's what hooked me. |
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Post by cheeesfreeex on Nov 10, 2015 21:31:33 GMT
Doubt it very much mate. Don't recall us having a BBC2 button on our telly and my mum only ever watched Crossroads.  |
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Post by Skankmonkey on Nov 10, 2015 21:34:19 GMT
Doubt it very much mate. Don't recall us having a BBC2 button on our telly and my mum only ever watched Crossroads. I've a feeling it was on ITV. I may be wrong though. |
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Post by Matthews dad on Nov 10, 2015 22:56:47 GMT
Waiting for Godot was once mentioned on an episode of Benidorm. Fact!
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Post by cheeesfreeex on Nov 11, 2015 0:32:08 GMT
Doubt it very much mate. Don't recall us having a BBC2 button on our telly and my mum only ever watched Crossroads. I've a feeling it was on ITV. I may be wrong though. You could be rayt but I can't imagine that it'd work with Ad breaks... can you? |
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Post by Skankmonkey on Nov 11, 2015 7:40:08 GMT
I've a feeling it was on ITV. I may be wrong though. You could be rayt but I can't imagine that it'd work with Ad breaks... can you? No, probably not; though ITV, and particularly Granada, did used to have a reasonable amount of cultural output back then. I think Max Wall eventually ended up on Coronation St. though and that is muddying the water a bit. Sorry, I misread your first post back there mate. I definitely need to be paying more attention! March/April 2009 the McKellen/Stewart version. |
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Post by cheeesfreeex on Nov 12, 2015 22:50:13 GMT
You could be rayt but I can't imagine that it'd work with Ad breaks... can you? No, probably not; though ITV, and particularly Granada, did used to have a reasonable amount of cultural output back then. I think Max Wall eventually ended up on Coronation St. though and that is muddying the water a bit. Sorry, I misread your first post back there mate. I definitely need to be paying more attention! March/April 2009 the McKellen/Stewart version. Any random outbursts mate? I'll get an update tomorrow no doubt. Fore warned is etc |
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Post by Skankmonkey on Nov 12, 2015 23:20:30 GMT
No, probably not; though ITV, and particularly Granada, did used to have a reasonable amount of cultural output back then. I think Max Wall eventually ended up on Coronation St. though and that is muddying the water a bit. Sorry, I misread your first post back there mate. I definitely need to be paying more attention! March/April 2009 the McKellen/Stewart version. Any random outbursts mate? I'll get an update tomorrow no doubt. Fore warned is etc No it all went off pretty well mate. Not been back long. If I'm honest, I was a little worried it wouldn't work as well in the round but they did a good job. Lucky's "thinking" speech got a bit lost in it's focus and became merely irritating rather than the painful torrent of mind bending verbiage that it can be when it's aimed directly at you. The set design was surprisingly novel and worked very well. I'm not sure what Beckett would say about it though. It was a very liberal interpretation of his set requirements which I understand to be pretty strictly defined. I hope your Mum and Irene enjoyed it. I certainly did. My sister and her husband (the muso) didn't much care for it though. Only 2 thirds full as well. It is what it is. I find it life affirming anyway. |
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Post by Skankmonkey on Nov 13, 2015 15:38:19 GMT
I'll just give this one last plug. Judging by last night there should be a few seats left tonight and Satdee.
There are worse ways to spend £20 and two hours of your time. I recommend it. Just go with an open mind and with no expectation of plot or meaning. Or ending come to that, happy or otherwise. Nothing to be done.
It has to be better than a couple of TV hours of "I'm a disfigured celebrity crack whore benefit cheat asylum seeker with 18 kids and Proud" or whatever it is they are using to beat the poor with nowadays. |
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Post by mattsfinn on Nov 15, 2015 3:42:54 GMT
I first saw it 20 years ago and was underwhelmed to say the least. Went to see it again yesterday to re-evaluate and I must say, my initial thoughts were correct! Although I like some of Beckett's work and understand the context of this particular play ie. the mundanity and absurdity of life and the indefinite routine of a tiresome existence, I find the play itself to be an extremely long, tedious affair! Maybe that's the point!
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Post by Skankmonkey on Nov 16, 2015 13:05:27 GMT
I first saw it 20 years ago and was underwhelmed to say the least. Went to see it again yesterday to re-evaluate and I must say, my initial thoughts were correct! Although I like some of Beckett's work and understand the context of this particular play ie. the mundanity and absurdity of life and the indefinite routine of a tiresome existence, I find the play itself to be an extremely long, tedious affair! Maybe that's the point! I'm sorry you didn't enjoy it mate. It is a bit marmite I'll admit. I've been at productions where the audience for the second act was distinctly sparser than that for the first!  It would be a dull world if we all enjoyed the same things. I have to say that it's been a force for good in my life!
After a couple of days reflection, and to be critical, I'd say the novel set design required by the venue perhaps made things a little busy.
Lucky's "thinking" monologue was poorly projected and got slightly lost in the ether. The audience needs to be begging him to stop way before Didi and Gogo manage to shut him up.
I could have done with a bit more comic timing and better delivery. The Stewart/McKellen production tended to get laughs after every line and went a little too far in that direction, as they have both acknowledged, but the jokes in a tragi-comedy are worthy of a bit more emphasis I'd say. One of my favourite lines early on:- "we don't want to be giving up hope after coming so far; we should have thought of it a long time ago" was lost completely. Oh well.
Anyway cheeesfreeex Mum's review is the important one...
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Post by bigjohnritchie on Feb 24, 2018 19:12:03 GMT
Does anyone go to the New Vic. regularly?
I really think we have a gem on our doorstep.
I agree with the OP about Waiting for Godot. I've never been to a performance at the Vic where I've not got something out of it.
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Post by JoeinOz on Feb 26, 2018 12:27:56 GMT
Dennis Waterman should do a version of it.
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Post by Dutchpeter on Feb 26, 2018 12:29:39 GMT
Dennis Waterman should do a version of it. He plays full back for QPR |
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Post by JoeinOz on Feb 26, 2018 12:33:12 GMT
Dennis Waterman should do a version of it. He plays full back for QPR John Nettles plays for Brentford |
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It would be a dull world if we all enjoyed the same things. I have to say that it's been a force for good in my life!
