Waiting For Godot

Today in class, we discussed the two most recent plays (also the only two contemporary plays) that we have seen: "When the Rain Stops Falling" and "The Observer".

"When the Rain Stops Falling" was a spectacle of time-weaving storytelling that was very gripping, moving, and emotionally charged. The play takes place in four different decades, spanning from 1975 to 2039, and it starts and ends in 2039.

Continuing or discussion about how playwrights manipulate time in drama, we discussed the effectiveness of parallel actions in the four decades. The show would reveal and develop characters in one decade, and then do the same for the next. For the audience, it was difficult to figure out what the play was asking because we were introduced to many different characters, saw such small conflicts (initially), and couldn't really understand why each decade was significant or how they were related. As the play proceeded, however, the brilliance of developing everything separately and slowly was revealed.

The play was very much like a puzzle, and the pieces all started to fall together as the play progressed. Even after watching the play, there are still many questions to be raised.

I don't want to get into a complete plot summary (because that would actually be quite difficult), nor do I want to spoil the play (because you all should see it, given the chance!), but we all could agree that it was a brilliant piece of work.

The next play we discussed was entitled "The Observer".

For most of us, this was our least favorite play. We all agreed that it was a good production, and even entertaining to watch, but had very little meaning or substance.

The show progressed linearly, as opposed to jumping around like the majority of the plays we have seen. The leading actress is on stage the entire show, but as Clum said to us: she plays a very "one-note" character, and is rather villainous. We all agreed with him.

We discussed that the show tends to hit you over the head with the plot, rather than use clever subtleties to develop the story. In the end, the show raises very few questions, and certainly none of them very profound. Clum explained to us that the show could have raised many meaningful questions, but didn't develop those areas of the story nearly enough.

And finally, the show tonight: "Waiting For Godot"

Clum calls shows that feature many well-known, talented, and famous actors "starry".

This show may very well be the most starry of all the shows we see, and most of us are EXTREMELY excited to see it. This particular production features Sir Ian McKellen and Sir Patrick Stewart in the leading roles. For those of you that don't know, these two co-starred in the "X-Men" movie trilogy, and are famous for their roles in "Lord of the Rings" and "Star Trek" respectively. That is, of course, in addition to their immense fame on the London stages.

Expect an update on our review of the show tomorrow, and hopefully some pictures with the stars if we can find them after the show. ;)

Cheers!