Theater Reviews: Waiting For Godot, 'Nami, Virgin Love

Also Strip, The Leaning Tree, Boys’ Life and more

A A A Comments (0) By L.A. Weekly Theater Critics Monday, Oct 29 2007

WAITING FOR GODOT Superb acting and Andrew Traister’s astute direction make this a first-rate revival of Samuel Beckett’s tragic-comical masterpiece. The director has skillfully avoided the tedium and blandness that too often seeps into the staging of this play by consistently drawing on and accenting its humorous elements, while never losing sight of the play’s dour motifs. As the two tramps doomed to an eternal vigil of waiting for the enigmatic Godot, Robertson Dean as Vladimir and Joel Swetow as Estragon turn in strong, polished performances. But the real magic here is the ineffable chemistry these two share as they endure the pangs of their meaningless ordeal that’s interrupted only by the arrival of a strange pair of travelers, Pozzo (Mitchell Edmonds) and his burdened “menial” Lucky (Mark Bramhall). Edmonds’ outsize presence seems to take over the stage, imbuing his role with equal parts Oxford don and pompous circus ringmaster, while Bramhall projects a creaturely, feral menace fused with comic élan. It all unfolds nicely on Michael Smith’s barren, slanted stage, which arcs into a forbidding mountain range created by scenic designer Adam Rowe and accented by James Taylor’s subtle, compelling lighting design. A NOISE WITHIN, 234 S. Brand Blvd., Glendale; in rep, call for schedule; thru Dec. 12. (818) 240-0910, ext. 1. (Lovell Estell III)