Photo Flash: First Look At WAITING FOR GODOT At Victory Gardens

Waiting for Godot, Samuel Beckett's seminal work for the stage, has finally arrived in Chicago in a new production staged by veteran director Dennis Začek, featuring legendary Chicago actors Larry Neumann Jr. as Vladimir, Steve Pickering* as Pozzo and Michael Saad as Estragon, with Nima Rakhshanifar as Lucky and Cooper Hoyt as boy.

Waiting for Godot is Irish writer Samuel Beckett's "tragicomedy in two acts" in which two men, Vladimir and Estragon, meet near a tree to wait for the arrival of the mysterious Godot, who continually sends word that he will appear but never does. They discuss their miseries, debate their lots in life, question why they were put on earth, and even consider hanging themselves. They also encounter three characters, Lucky, Pozzo and a messenger boy, who engage in absurd, enlightening conversations about the human condition as they wait...and wait...and wait for Godot.

Published in 1952 in French as "En attendant Godot" and first produced in Paris in 1953, Waiting for Godot was a true innovation in drama and the Theatre of the Absurd's first theatrical success. The English-language version premiered in London in 1955. In a poll conducted by the British Royal National Theatre in 1990, it was voted the "most significant English language play of the 20th century."

Previews started November 15 in the Richard Christiansen Theater at Victory Gardens Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Avenue, Chicago. Press opening is Sunday, November 17 at 2 p.m. Performances run through December 15: Wednesdays through Saturdays at 8 p.m., and Sundays at 4 p.m. Exception: No show Thursday, November 28 (Thanksgiving). There is an added 4 p.m. matinee on Saturday, November 30. Tickets are $20-$40. Discounts are available for students, seniors and groups. For tickets and information, visit victorygardens.org or call (773) 871-3000.