Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett

In a recent London production of Beckett's masterpiece the director came out before the performance to introduce the play and to remind the audience that the play was humorous. A bizarre occurence; but at the heart of it lies the problem with the piece. Beckett is treated with an inordinate amount of reverence and is seen as being a writer of enormous depth, the plays laden with philosophical meaning. Whilst this may be true, it does not follow that the writer was a man of wit. Carla Quelch, director of Tight Fit Theatre's production coming to the Swan this month, has embraced Beckett's fascination with the silent film and his admiration for Buster Keaton; both of which were evident in his own production of the play in Hamburg. Artistic Director of Tight Fit Theatre, Mark Oldknow, who plays Pozzo says' "It is an immense relief to be working with a director who not only understands the play; but also has an understanding of the writer and his indebtedness to popular entertainment." he adds, "It is a very funny play." As Martin Esslin wrote of Becketts own production, "Hence most productions of Waiting for Godot or Endgame tend to be bathed in allegorical gloom and tragic pathos. Where directors are afraid to use broad comic effects, where they clearly feel that slapstick would amount to blasphemy, the author himself is the only authority to demonstrate the virtue of a light and irreverent touch. And this is what Beckett has brilliantly done in this case."

Oldknow is joined by three new actors to the company. Michael Howarth (Vladimir) is no stranger to either the stage or High Wycombe; he played Rance for Wycombe Theatre Company's production of What the Butler Saw. Michael has worked extensively in theatre and with the likes of Ian McKellen, Derek Jacobi, and Douglas Fairbanks Jnr. Television and Film credits range from "To Play the King" to "The Spy Who Loved Me" - and he was the Man from Del Monte. Ian Saville (Estragon) has worked with political theatre group Broadside and has devised a magic act with a difference - "The Socialist Conjurer" - a regular on the "alternative cabaret" circuit. This, and the one-man shows that followed, won him a Time Out Award "for his distinctive combination of wit and showmanship". Ryan Witney has worked in London as well as Europe in a variety of roles from Guildenstern in "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead" to Stan in "The Boyfriend From Hell". Director, Carla Quelch is a familiar name to Wycombe audiences, as well as being an accomplished actor she directed Othello in 2003, which played to capacity houses as well as "Talking Heads" and "The Odd Couple".

"Waiting For Godot" follows two men, Vladimir and Estragon, as they fill in the time waiting for Mr Godot. Their banter is disturbed by the arrival of Pozzo and his slave Lucky. After a few chosen words and an incredible outpouring from Lucky they depart, leaving the men alone once more. Act two follows a similar pattern; however Pozzo is now blind and Lucky quite dumb and Vladimir and Estragon become even more impatient for the arrival of Mr Godot. To say that this is a play where nothing happens, twice (as one French critic wrote) is neither fair nor true. Plenty happens. The relationship between all the characters shifts and alters at an alarming rate, there is almost a lunacy about it; catalysed by the impending arrival of Godot. It is unsurprising that this play remains a Classic of the 20th Century.

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