Waiting for Godot at The Catastrophic Theatre

WAITING FOR GODOT

by Samuel Beckett

"We are all born mad. Some remain so."

Beckett’s absurdist, tragicomic masterwork in which two penniless tramps stand waiting on a country road for the enigmatic Mr. Godot to arrive and improve their diminishing circumstances. Just before nightfall, a messenger arrives to inform them that Godot will not come today but will surely come tomorrow. Meanwhile they pass the time in every way they know how, as they struggle to hope for better days to come.

Beckett’s pitiable protagonists (Vladimir and Estragon) recall nothing so much as a classic comedy duo; their suffering moves us because it is familiar, and we laugh at their pratfalls because those are familiar to us too. In other words, the play that unwittingly launched The Theatre of the Absurd is a perfect parable for the human condition in which art truly, sorrowfully, and yes, hilariously imitates life.

Asked when Beckett’s plays would become irrelevant, playwright Will Eno answered, “When people stop dying.” If one works in theatre, they will almost inevitably be asked “Why this play now?” At Catastrophic, the answer is almost invariably, “Because this play always.”

CATASTROPHIC AND SAMUEL BECKETT

This fall’s Waiting for Godot will be the eighth production of a Beckett play by Catastrophic or its forerunner Infernal Bridegroom Productions (IBP). Since their founding, they have been the preeminent producers of his work locally.

Citing The Houston Chronicle and The Houston Press alone, past Catastrophic and IBP productions of Beckett’s plays have elicited critical responses including “Magnificent,” “Phenomenal,” “Amazing,”“Brilliant,” “Does Beckett get any better?” “Beckett at its best,” “Must-see,” “First-rate,” and “If man’s wretched existence ever needed a finer hand to paint comic despair, look no further than director Jason Nodler with his quartet of superlative interpreters all in the service of the apocalyptic vision from Samuel Beckett.”

Waiting for Godot reunites director Jason Nodler with the cast of its 2013 production: Greg Dean (Vladimir), Charlie Scott (Estragon), Kyle Sturdivant (Pozzo), and Troy Schulze (Lucky), Catastrophic core artists that have been collaborating for nearly 30 years. Mack Hutchison makes his Catastrophic debut as The Boy.

Scenic design by Afsaneh Aayani, lighting by John Smetak, costumes by Macy Lyne, and props by Greg Dean.

WAITING FOR GODOT by Samuel Beckett runs September 29 – October 14, 2023 at the Midtown Arts and Theater Center Houston (MATCH). Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at matchouston.org or by calling the MATCH box office at 713-521-4533.

Thursdays at 7:30 p.m.,

Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 p.m.,and Sundays at 2:30 p.m.

Special Monday performance on Oct 2nd at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets to all performances are Pay-What-You-Can!

Not recommended for children under 12.