Silence descended on the house. Slowly the lights came up. Many had waited until Tuesday night to enjoy the Gate's 50th anniversary production of Waiting for Godot.
A historic, fund-raising performance on Sunday night commemorated the play's first staging in Paris on January 5th, 1953, but for some theatre goers in Dublin this week, it felt right to wait for Tuesday. Beckett was best for those who waited for the official opening of the Gate's world-famous production of Waiting for Godot, which was first staged there in 1988. The play is once again directed by Walter Asmus, designed by Louis le Brocquy and lit by Rupert Murray.
On stage, it was evening. Johnny Murphy as Estragon and Barry McGovern as Vladimir were waiting for Godot. They waited until the moon came up.
At the interval, batik artist Bernadette Madden, due to exhibit in Svalbard, Norway, in March, chatted to Ken Langan, registrar of the National College of Art and Design. They discussed the play and also her work, which features frozen arctic regions. (She was reminded of the Mae West quote she used on her Christmas party invitations: "I used to be snow-white, but I drifted".)
Actor Stephen Brennan, who played Lucky in the theatre's Waiting for Godot in 1988, enjoyed being in the audience for a change. He watched Conor Lovett make his own of the demanding role. Brennan had his own opening last Sunday at the Gerald Davis Gallery, Capel Street, when his paintings, entitled, Painting for Godot, went on view. The show will run for one more week. Also, he's just finished filming The Great Céilí War with Colm Meaney, Andrea Corr and Bernard Hill under the direction of John Irvin. It's set in 1970 and is due out in September, he says.
Teerth Chung, director of Draíocht, who takes up her new position as head of production at the Gate in early February also enjoyed the production.
Alan Stanford, who plays Pozzo, said hello to actor Alan Smyth, who was on a night off from the Gaiety where he is currently playing the Prince in the Sleeping Beauty panto, which is directed by Stanford. It runs for four more weeks, he says. After that Smyth is off to Charleston in Georgia with the Gate's production of Pride and Prejudice and then on to Cairo with Bewley Café Theatre's production of The Star Trap.
Waiting for Godot runs at the Gate Theatre until Saturday, February 1st.