Humor and Rhythm, Stark Vision

Excerpts from Ladd Wendelin’s Lincoln Journal Star Review, September 27, 2013

“Will night never come?” laments Vladimir. “Time has stopped.” Desperation momentarily yields to hope in Godot, before it’s quickly replaced by the promise of a salvation that never arrives.

So much of the success of Godot depends on the performances, highlights against the minimalist setting composed of a stack of tires and a half-dead tree. Director Bob Hall and his actors -- Patrick Lambrecht (Vladimir) and Tom Crew (Estragon) -- have found humor and rhythm, as well as moments of inspired physical comedy, in Beckett’s stark vision of mankind.

These essential ingredients provide a conduit for the audience, and staged in the round, Godot invites us all to wait. For example, Lambrecht and Crew take brief asides addressing the audience directly, mostly in Act I. This choice makes it seem, however briefly, that perhaps Vladimir and Estragon are not alone in their predicament. The cast, including Richard Nielsen’s Pozzo and Andy Dillehay’s Lucky, also achieve an admirable rhythm and patter that makes for a pleasing aural experience in a play with a tendency to both alienate and illuminate . . .

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The run continues at The Haymarket Theatre, 803 “Q” Street, in Lincoln.

Show dates and times are

this Friday and Saturday, September 27-28 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, September 29 at 2 p.m.;

followed by Thursday through Saturday, October 3–5 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, October 6 at 2 p.m.

Tickets are $15 General, $10 Students and Seniors. 

Call 402-473-2897 for reservations.

Photo Credit: John Nollendorfs

 

What Do We Do Now? Usher for Godot!

Want to get involved with Flatwater Shakespeare? We're looking for ushers for Waiting for Godot!

Performances are September 26 - 29 and October 3 - 6.

Thursday - Saturday shows are at 7:30 pm and Sunday performances are at 2:00 pm.

Ushers need to arrive 45 minutes before show time.

Ushers may stay and see the show for free on the day that they usher.

If interested, contact Michelle Z at mkzinke@aol.com or 402-613-9661.

Photo Credit: John Nollendorfs. 

*The Hollow Crown* Comes to NET Television!

NET Television will air The Hollow Crown, the BBC's 2012 series presenting Shakespeare's Second Tetralogy of history plays, starting later this month!

Fridays, 9 pm Central:

September 20, Richard II with Ben Whishaw;

September 27, 1 Henry IV with Jeremy Irons;

October 4, 2 Henry IV with Simon Russell Beale as Falstaff (also in Part One, of course);

October 11, Henry V with Tom Hiddleston (also as Prince Hal in the Henry IV plays)

-- and all with remarkable supporting casts.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngNXFbTwZZ4

Waiting for Godot -- Well, Shall We Go?

Samuel Beckett's classic tragicomedy, Waiting for Godot, finally arrives at The Haymarket Theatre as the Flatwater Shakespeare Company joins forces with the Crooked Codpiece Company. 
Directed by Bob Hall, Waiting for Godot will run September 26 through October 6, at The Haymarket Theatre, 803 “Q” Street, in Lincoln. Show dates and times are Thursday through Saturday, September 26-28 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, September 29 at 2 p.m.; followed by Thursday through Saturday, October 3–5 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, October 6 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $15 General, $10 Students and Seniors.  Call 402-473-2897 for reservations.

Waiting for Godot has been described as Laurel and Hardy in Search of the Meaning of Life. Beckett's main characters, Estragon and Vladimir, are vagabonds in the tradition of Charlie Chaplin's Little Tramp. Having received a series of vague messages from the mysterious Mr. Godot, the tramps await his long-delayed appearance.  As they wait, they encounter a master and slave, Pozzo and Lucky. Within this simple framework, playwright Beckett brings together vaudeville routines, philosophical inquiry, silent film comedy, the history of drama, dirty jokes, and human longing. Digging deep into the absurdity of existence, “Godot” is one of the most profound comedies of our time.

The creative team for this production brings together talents uniquely suited to the show. Flatwater Shakespeare founder Bob Hall directs with a keen sense of both the comic and the tragic dimensions of Beckett's script. Crooked Codpiece Company co-founders Patrick Lambrecht and Tom Crew join a long tradition of inspired clowns as Vladimir and Estragon. Richard Nielsen and Andy Dillehay, Flatwater Shakespeare favorites, appear as Pozzo and Lucky. Ben Arenz makes his Flatwater Shakespeare debut as the Boy.

Contributing to the production are Janice Stauffer and Diane Palagi, costumes; Richard Schroeder, lighting; Richard Imig, technical director; Kat Palagi, stage manager; Michelle Zinke, assistant stage manager; and Stephen Buhler, dramaturg. 

For more information, visit flatwatershakespeare.org.