For many drama students and playgoers all over the world, Samuel Beckett’s “Waiting for Godot”, a masterpiece of absurdist drama, has probably been one of the most difficult plays to understand—leave alone enjoying.

A commonly heard observation is that you may enjoy the play more when you get older and realize that there’s a lot in life which you can never make sense of. So, don’t bother twisting your brain: C’est la vie. Of course, any production of this tragicomedy with keen direction and good acting will certainly make it more enjoyable.

Veteran director Damkerng Thitapiyasak, who heads the relatively new yet highly active company New Theatre Society, attempts to delete the prefix of the word tragicomedy in this collaboration with Crescent Moon Theatre. He is successful in the sense that his “Waiting for Gor Dor” is frequently funny, thanks to its plentiful contemporary Thai jokes, and has, unlike the original, quite optimistic tone, that’s most obvious towards the end. 

What Damkerng is sacrificing though—or what the original play is losing—are the misery, meaninglessness, and repetitiveness of life, which, unfortunately, are major characteristics of this dramatic genre. 

For example, the changes from Act 1 to Act 2 in the original play are very minimal and it’s like you’re watching the same events twice—and, come to think of it, that’s life. Here, there are quite a number of major changes, and the plot seems to be moving a little ahead, unlike the original which makes you feel like you haven’t watched anything after two and a half hours. Also, the fact that this version has all-female characters dressed in school uniforms, completely opposite to the original, means that the ruggedness of these tramps considerably lessens. Compare a guy’s losing his pants revealing his undies to a girl’s losing her bra revealing nothing.

For many audiences, hence, a question remains whether he’s taking the adaptor’s liberty a little too far here, unlike what he did with modern German satirical comedy “Push Up 1-3” last year.

Four of the best Thai stage actresses today—Sineenadh Keitprapai, Jarunun Phantachat, Sumontha Suanpolrat, and Farida Jirapan—are all having a ball and each has a few stellar moments. A highlight is when Farida, the least experienced among the four, powerfully and mesmerizingly delivers her long monologue in the first act, drawing the audience’s applause immediately after it.

The simple yet effective set and lighting designs fit both the playhouse and the play, while the projection is attempting to reveal and explain perhaps a little too much.

If you’ve read, or studied, “Waiting for Godot”, you may enjoy this wacky Thai adaptation, especially when you draw comparisons to what happens in the original. Otherwise, “Waiting for Gor Dor” may seem like another theatrical experiment that doesn’t quite connect with the audience.

>>“Waiting for G.D.” and runs until Sunday, August 3 at Crescent Moon Space (BTS: Thong Lor, one show daily at 7:30pm.

>>Tickets are Bt 350 (Bt 250 for students), bookable by calling 08 6787 7155.

>>www.CrescentMoonTheatre.com

written by Pawit Mahasarinand

published in The Nation on Saturday, August 2, 2008

photos courtesy of New Theatre Society and Crescent Moon Theatre