I’m Bill S. Preston, Esquire! And I’m Ted “Theodore” Logan! And we are… waiting for Godot.
Yes, it took over three decades but the Wyld Stallions have finally made it to Broadway. Well, sort of.
Keanu Reeves (Ted) and Alex Winter (Bill) are currently starring in Samuel Beckett’s classic play Waiting for Godot at the Hudson Theatre in New York City. This 16-week limited run sees the original stars of 1989’s Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure trade their electric guitars for… well, pretty much nothing.
I’ve never read or seen Godot before, but my wife read it in high school and recalled loving it. (Of course, she later realized that love was due to the fact the play was only 80 pages long…)
So when we had a shot at seeing Bill and Ted in person, we jumped at the chance and caught the last night of previews.
What is Waiting for Godot About?
Now that I’ve seen Waiting for Godot, I…, well, I still really can’t tell you much of what it’s about. Not that I’m afraid of spoilers. It’s just that the play is really out there.
It’s absurd. It’s existential. It’s philosophical. And it’s downright bizarre.
Regardless, here’s a super quick rundown: It tells the story of two tramps (as in homeless, hobo types) named Estragon and Vladimir. They spend pretty much the entirety of the play just waiting by a lonely tree for some mysterious guy named Godot.
While waiting, the two flip between discussing the futility of life and trying to get Estragon’s tight boots off his feet. There’s talk of hope, despair, love, anger and friendship.
And that’s pretty much it.
Sounds nice and simple, right? It’s not. It’s funny at times. Sad at other times. And confusing the entire time.
Why weren’t there any props?
I don’t know what other productions of Waiting for Godot are like but adding to the confusion is the fact that the play is incredibly minimalistic.
The set? Yeah, it was basically one big white tunnel. The pair just moved around in and out of it.
They talk of a single lonely tree, but you don’t see a tree.
They discuss props (like a carrot) and pantomime handing it to each other and eating it.
Why they didn’t have an actual carrot to work with I don’t know. But this play literally was Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter putting on a whole show with just this one big tunnel to sit in. The only other real prop I can think of are Reeves’ boots that do come off and become a part of the stage.
As for other actors, there are a few.
The story really went off the deep end for me when a character named Pozzo entered the scene wheeling in his slave named Lucky. Lucky’s a mute (maybe?), sitting in a wheelchair wearing one of those crazy leather strap masks that I last saw on Bane when he broke Batman’s back.
Pozzo cracks a whip at Lucky. He sits and eats food from a bag. He shares the scraps with Estragon.
But again, none of that is physical. There is no actual whip. No bags. No bones. Just the ultimate game of charades.
I’m guessing the lack of props and set is to add a more dreamlike state to the story so it’s not really grounded in any kind of reality. Either that or the props department ran out of money.
But was Keanu excellent?
Now, while the story made me scratch my head a zillion times, it did intrigue me enough to want to learn more about the meaning behind it all. Turns out, there are a lot of theories but it basically comes down to the absurdity of life and how we constantly search for things we never find.
That’s not to say my wife and I didn’t enjoy Waiting for Godot. It was definitely a fantastic experience that made for a great date night in the city.
Seeing Keanu Reeves in person was just so cool. Like his good-hearted but dim-witted teenage Ted, Reeves was fabulous as Estragon. He was scrappy, silly, vulnerable and at times pretty darn funny. He didn’t utter a “Whoa,” but certainly exuded that slow, man-of-few-words attitude.
And Winter as Vladimir was surprising to me. In a good way. He was the more philosophical and talkative of the two (Just like Bill!), bringing a sharp, deeply human feel to the role.
What truly worked for me, though, was the way Reeves and Winter played off each other. They couldn’t have been more natural together, showing off the true lifelong bond these two share.
The greatest moment of all, though, that made the entire play worth it?
That’d be the point when Reeves and Winter slowly manage to stand up, back to back, ready to take on whatever enemy may be approaching. They mention they hadn’t done this since “the ’90s.” Then the two step out of character for a few seconds, as they play air guitar and let out a “Diddle diddle diddle diddle diddle deeeeee” before returning to their regular roles.
Is Waiting for Godot worth the wait?
Was it weird? Yes.
Was it challenging? Most definitely.
But it was also beautiful, funny, and unforgettable. Which makes Waiting for Godot certainly worth seeing.
And come to think of it, the duo are no strangers to philosophy. After all, Bill & Ted are the living embodiment of “Be Excellent to Each Other.”
Waiting for Godot is currently playing at the Hudson Theatre through early January.