The Seahawk

Issue date: 10/21/09 Section: Lifestyles

As people begin walking into the theatre space for UNCW's production of "Waiting for Godot," it's obvious that most theatre goers were not quite sure what to expect from the production. On entering the performance space, instead of being met with an empty stage, as most shows begin with, the audience was presented with two live actors standing motionless on stage. The effect was a little unsettling, and the audience quickly hushed themselves in anticipation for the action of the play to begin. 

This anticipation was not let down as the audience was able to see young college students perform one of theatres most elusive and difficult shows. The all-female cast brought a great level of youth and vitality to a show written for old and middle-aged men. This succeeded in presenting the versatility of the script written by Samuel Beckett and the universality of the themes presented in the show.   

 

Godot has often been described by the general audience member as a show about nothing. Plot-wise this may be the case since it is a show with little action. Most of the show is simply absurdist dialogue between the main characters (Vladimir and Estragon) filled with non-sequitur. However, on a deeper thematic level it is about a variety of things, from the absurdity and desolate nature of life, to the social and psychological reactions of World War II.  

The set was as sparse and grim as the actual script of Godot. The set was empty except for a simple tree and a wooden box meant to represent a rock. The lighting consisted of many subtle changes that represent the change of time throughout the day, moving from daylight to nighttime. These lighting shifts were never ostentatious and never distracted from the events of the show. Also, a constant soundtrack of cricket noises ran throughout the entire show. This may sound distracting, but the cricket noises actually added a great ambiance. 

 

Director Scott Nice decided on an acting concept that had a heavy emphasis on clowning. Every line of dialogue seemed to be given a physical gesture to add comedic effect and at times these gestures were even accompanied with sound effects. While this approach did manage to find the humor present in Godot, it detracted from the overall meaning and heart of the show.  For example, when the character Estragon exclaims "I'm unhappy," it was difficult to tell if the character was truly unhappy or if the actor was told to say this for purposes of comedic effect. The result is an almost Looney Tunes-influenced production where actors perform actions with little emotional investment.    

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