A long-anticipated premiere has taken place in New York. Starting September 13 and running for 16 weeks, Broadway is staging “Waiting for Godot”. The biggest intrigue: Keanu Reeves as Estragon. For the actor, this is not only a new experience but also a true challenge. Instead of the usual cinematic action, here he faces silence, pauses, subtle gestures, and the physical presence of a character on stage. Playing Vladimir is Reeves’s longtime friend, actor and director Alex Winter.
Theater of the Absurd and Eternal Waiting
Samuel Beckett wrote the play in the early 1950s, and it became a turning point in theater history. With it began the “theater of the absurd”: no traditional plot, no resolution, no climax—just repetition instead of action, and at its center, the act of waiting itself, filled with hope but without ultimate answers.
The story seems simple: two wanderers, Vladimir and Estragon, meet by a lonely tree along the road and wait for the mysterious Godot, who, they believe, will change their lives. But he never arrives.
Keanu on Stage: Expectations and Reality
Audiences welcomed Keanu Reeves with enthusiasm. His Estragon is shy, vulnerable, and quietly charming. The set design is striking as well: a massive pipe, symbolizing either time itself or the characters’ inner depths, dominates the stage and frames the wait for Godot.
Yet, my personal expectations proved higher than the production itself. Ironically, I imagined my own theatrical Keanu-Godot, and he never appeared.
The performance turned out witty, delicate, and almost radiophonic—at times it felt like it could exist as a podcast. Brandon Dirden sometimes overacted, while Keanu underplayed, and in that contrast the production balanced between theatrical magic and near-parody.
Verdict
Despite these mixed impressions, “Waiting for Godot” performed by Hollywood stars is a true theatrical event. For lovers of classical theater and Broadway, it will likely be a solid ten out of ten. For some, it may evoke the grandeur of “Othello” with Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal; for others, it might simply be another reminder that we’re all still waiting for our own Godot.
Either way, it’s two hours that linger in memory.
Tickets available at godotbroadway.com
