Waiting for Godot
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| Program Cover |
By Samual Becket
Review by Ernest Edwards
While Waiting for Godot is a great piece of 20th Century literature, the Guthrie Theater’s production is profound, thought provoking, fun and insightful. It is one of the best performances you will ever see live on stage.
The play is about two friends, Estragon and Vladmir, trying to pass the time in what seems to be a post apocalyptic world. As they are trying to pass the time, two strangers by the names of Pozzo and Lucky do cross their paths. That is when Twin Cities favorite Jim Litchtsheidl gets to shine with his mastery of physical comedy.
I have some history with this play. The 2026 Guthrie Theater production of Waiting for Godot is my fifth professional production I have seen of this Samuel Becket play. (The Guthrie Theater originally produced the play in 1973.) The first production I had seen was in 2009 at the Theatre Royal Haymarket in London starring Sir Patrick Stewart and Sir Ian McKellen, along with Simon Callow as Pozzo. The second production was 2010 at American Players Theater featuring James DeVita and James Ridge. The third production was in 2012 at the Jungle Theatre featuring Nathan Keepers and Jim Lichtscheidl. The fourth production was on Broadway, at The Hudson Theatre, December 2025 starring Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter. That production was “most excellent”. It was great to see Bill & Ted back together again, this time live on the Broadway stage. Now the fifth production is at the Guthrie Theater in 2026, featuring film star David Strathairn as Vladimir, Jimmy Kieffer is Estragon, Jim Lichtscheidl is Lucky, William Sturdivant is Pozzo, and Antonio Teodoro is A Boy.
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| Photo by Dan Norman |
One of my favorite things about seeing shows at The Guthrie Theater is the extra information about the show they include in the program. Waiting for Godot is referenced as one of the most important plays of the 20th Century. Check out those articles either before or after the play. They are a great read.
With having seen different productions of Waiting for Godot before, when I walked into the Wurtele Thrust Stage at the Guthrie Theater, Marion Williams scenic design definitely said it was Waiting for Godot to me.
The acting is phenomenal in this play.
The play runs through October 11, 2026, check out www.guthrietheater.org for tickets.
