Samuel Beckett’s classic delivers humor, humanity and introspection, leaving audiences deeply moved
By Lee Juillerat for Ashland.news
Most plays leave viewers with a clear understanding of what transpires.
“Waiting for Godot” isn’t most plays.
“Godot” is a play that leaves viewers – at least this viewer – thinking, pondering, wondering. That’s because it’s a play that touches on several themes: friendship, suffering, relationships, aging, eternal hope, and more.
“Waiting for Godot,” the famous Samuel Beckett play being performed at the Richard L. Hay Center at the Grizzly Peak Winery by the Rogue Theater Company through Nov. 2, is sometimes described as a story where nothing happens. The two main characters, Vladimir and Estragon, wait for the arrival of the mythical Godot, who is never seen.
As they wait, Vladimir and Estragon frequent blather, often about nothing, sometimes about suicide, other times about being hungry or tired, nightmares, or their physical aches and pains. Some conversations are musings about nothing in particular, just excuses to talk and fill the void of endless waiting. There are hints of dementia, references to religion, and even snippets of humor, such as flashes of Laurel and Hardy-like slapstick with their back-and-forth exchange of their bowler hats.
A lot happens while nothing happens. As one of the actors explained during a talk-back session after the play, “I knew a lot more about ‘Godot’ before I was in it.”
“Godot” is often described as an exploration of human resilience, a play that causes audiences to think about their own lives, relationships and uncertain futures. That’s true. I saw my first production of “Godot” decades ago, but experiencing the play these many years later caused me to consider it from different perspectives, some that reveal how the experience of living life involves the unknown and unexpected in positive and negative ways.
Helping to make the Rogue Theater’s “Godot” an immersive experience is its staging — a sparse set with only a few branches of a hanging tree. Even more impacting are its powerful actors. Ray Porter as Estragon and Derrick Lee Weeden, both with years of experience at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, give hard-edged, believable performances with their expressive physical dialogue. They’re joined by two others with experience at OSF, Jonathan Haugen as the not-so lucky Lucky, and Tasso Feldman as his whip-carrying master, Pozzo. The timid, hesitant Boy is played by Preston Mead. All five inhabit their characters.
“Godot’s” director, Robynn Rodriquez, uses Michael Ganio’s minimalist set and the quartet of actors to put Beckett’s writings into a production where nothing happens but, at the same time, everything happens.
Once again, the Rogue Theater Company has assembled a director and actors who have creating a play that is stimulating, insightful and thought provoking. “Waiting for Godot” is an introspective play that creates thoughtful and emotional impacts that resonate long after it ends.
The deets
Performances for “Waiting for Godot” at the indoor Richard L. Hay Center at the Grizzly Peak Winery begin at 1 p.m. on Wednesdays through Sundays until Nov. 2. The show runs two and half hours with one intermission. There is no late seating. Advance tickets are $40 or $45 at the door.
Special events include: Wine Wednesdays on Oct. 22 and 29, Talkbacks Thursdays on Oct. 23 and 30, Friend Fridays on Oct. 24 and 31.
For more information, visit the RTC website at roguetheatercompany.org.
Email freelance writer Lee Juillerat at 337lee337@charter.net.
Related stories:
What are Rogue Theater Company fans waiting for? ‘Godot,’ of course (Oct. 10, 2025)
