A Burnaby resident is at the helm of a new production of Waiting for Godot.
Blackbird Theatre is bringing Samuel Beckett's comedic classic to the stage from Dec. 27 to Jan. 21 at The Cultch.
It's directed by John Wright, the artistic director and co-founder of Blackbird Theatre.
"People love it. People hate it. But Godot is unstoppable," Wright said in a press release. "After almost 60 years of continuous performances around the world, it still commands the stage, inspiring and confounding, bringing laughter and tears, and enriching our appreciation of human culture."
The play - which is being billed as "a seminal work of the 20th century where nothing
happens - twice" - received its world premiere at the Théâtre de Babylone in Paris in 1953 and was first performed in English in 1955.
It has earned notoriety for the vast number of interpretations and meanings ascribed to it by critics, academics and artists - who have argued, variously, that the work is about religion, communism, Freudian psychology, Jungian psychology and existentialism.
In an interview with the NOW earlier this year, Wright admitted that the idea of bringing Waiting for Godot to the stage was garnering mixed reactions from people.
"Either they yawn or they're aghast or they're absolutely thrilled," he said with a laugh. "We're aiming our production at bringing all those folks into the theatre, including those who thought they wouldn't like it."
Wright was confident about reaching that goal.
"There's a lot of humour in the play," he said, noting there's more to delve into than just the bleak and philosophical aspects. "If you play it as a play, if you just do it, the darker things will take care of themselves."
Wright has assembled a cast of top actors for the occasion, starring Anthony F. Ingram and Simon Webb in the central roles of Vladimir and Estragon.
Playing the roles of Ponzo and Lucky are William Samples and Adam Henderson, while Zander Constant will make his Blackbird debut as the Boy.
"This is my guarantee," Wright said in the press release. "If you have always loved this play, your love will be uniquely refreshed. If you have always hated it, new comedic riches await your needy heart."
The performance runs Tuesdays to Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. There's no performance Dec. 31.
Tickets start at $16. Call 604-251-1363 or buy at www. thecultch.com. The Cultch is at the corner of Victoria Drive and Venables Street in East Vancouver.
For more about Blackbird Theatre, see www.blackbird theatre.ca.
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