We all know what it’s like to wait for something. To wait patiently, over time, other hurdles, people and their promises. And then to be told, just when your goal is in reach, that things have changed. The shop is closed, the queue has come to an end, you missed your moment. The item you desperately wanted was available, you were just looking in the other direction or talking on your phone when your name was called. First world angst!
Such frustrating conundrums of modern life are hilariously relayed in the comedic first work of Melbourne playwright Nick Lah’s ‘Waiting For Waiting For Godot‘. What it is exactly that his lead character is waiting for is something you will need to get Westside to uncover. It’s based on a true story.
Held at the wondrous creative playspace that is Kindred Studios, you sit in a cavernous space with a large open stage. A spare set allows the dramatic action to fly. The lead is played with calm aplomb by the writer. Casual in his black denim, his nightmare of pain is launched from an online order mishap. He leaves the safety of his computer only to enter a scifi-like world where nothing goes to plan. People seem to be transacting in a normal fashion, but words can be deceiving.
This is absurdist theatre where the everyday seems strange. The play is brief yet tells its story well. It’s funny as well as ironic, and you can see yourself in many of the lead character’s moments. A comment on the travails of our times, laugh or you’d cry at the mishaps this character falls innocently into.
We follow Lah’s quiet desperation. Patient in the extreme, he sits through many annoying disappointments that prevent him from achieving the very small thing he seeks. Best friends let him down. He enters the wrong building. He doesn’t have the right ID or access card. Things we can all relate to in our minutiae-mad lives.
The character slowly unravels and the world becomes a drama-filled place. Hang on ’til the end to find out whether that elusive thing sought was worth it. In this flipped universe, the joke seems to be on humans trying anything at all.
– Sarah
Sarah W. is a dance-trained theatre lover with a flair for the bold, and non-traditional performance platforms. On-the-street or in the box seat, she is always looking for quality works that push the envelope.
‘Waiting for Waiting For Godot’ runs 29 September- 2 October, 7.30pm (50mins) at Kindred Studios, Yarraville. Book tickets now.
This venue is wheelchair accessible.
For more Melbourne Fringe 20016, check out our guide and all our reviews.
