BWW Previews: No More Waiting, Godot Opens at Ruth Eckerd Hall

Imagine waiting for a stranger, not knowing when or if he will arrive, but when he does, circumstances will surely improve.

Presented by Ruth Eckerd Hall's in-house theatre company, Hat Trick Theatre, Waiting for Godot is the surrealistic play often described as nothing happening, twice.

Jack Holloway who portrays Estragon said that Samuel Beckett's play summed up the human condition.

"It's two people that have been told to wait at a place...eventually a person will come and take them to a much better life. Every day, this person sends a messenger that says today's no good...but definitely tomorrow'. Do they continue to wait...or do they go?"

Jonah Mastro, who plays the Boy, said that the audience should find that not only is it a show like no other, but truly a masterpiece.

Performed in 1952 on French radio, Beckett himself provided a small introduction to the inaugural show saying:

"I don't know who Godot is. I don't even know (above all don't know) if he exists. And I don't know if they believe in him or not - those two who are waiting for him. The other two who pass by towards the end of each of the two acts, that must be to break up the monotony. All I knew I showed. It's not much, but it's enough for me, by a wide margin. I'll even say that I would have been satisfied with less. As for wanting to find in all that a broader, loftier meaning to carry away from the performance, along with the program and the Eskimo pie, I cannot see the point of it. But it must be possible ... Estragon, Vladimir, Pozzo, Lucky, their time and their space, I was able to know them a little, but far from the need to understand. Maybe they owe you explanations. Let them supply it. Without me. They and I are through with each other."

Although Beckett won the Nobel Prize for Literature, he gave it away.

This existential play is entertaining because of the emotional truth about the human condition underlying the humor.

Jack said that everyone can find themselves in this production.

"I worry that saying "everybody" is a cop out answer...but it's a play about something everyone goes through. There are sad parts...there are hilarious parts. We're also doing a very accessible version of the show. It can be a very strange play upon first reading. Our director's goal is that anyone could watch this play and see themselves in it," he said. "It's a play about keeping hope alive...It's a play about caring for each other...It also has pants falling jokes and hat juggling. It's amazing."

Waiting for Godot is being performed in Murray Theatre at Ruth Eckerd Hall. Showtimes are May 17-26, Thursday through Saturday, 7:30pm and Sunday 3pm. Tickets are available at the Ruth Eckerd Hall Ticket Office, by calling 727.791.7400 or visiting www.RuthEckerdHall.com. The Ruth Eckerd Hall Ticket Office is open Monday through Saturday, 10 am to 6 pm and one hour prior to show time. Single tickets to all shows are priced at $24. Student/military discounted tickets are available for $20 with a valid form of ID.