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Perhaps the greatest quality of author Samuel Beckett's dramatic works is that, with a single line, he can make you laugh, cry, hold your breath or even provoke you into plunging a kitchen fork into your own leg. That's thanks to the droll, melancholy way he articulates the mess of everyday life.
If the line is really good, you'll feel like doing all four in one fell swoop.
Javen Tanner, artistic director of the new Sting and Honey Company, and director of its inaugural production of "Waiting for Godot," may not have the firmest grip on how to bring out the sober elements of Beckett's most famous play. The laughter, however, flows freely and easily.
And that's a most welcome angle on a playwright most people approach as all-too somber for public consumption or, worse, too vexing for even so much as the time of day.
Tanner, who also plays Estragon in this production, makes his interpretive intentions clear from the beginning. Rather than stare at his empty boot early in the first act in mock absurdist deadpan, Tanner plays with it, then wafts its acrid odor toward his nose. Taking a carrot offered by Vladimir, played with equal aplomb by David D'Agostini, he munches it with almost cartoon-like glee.
This comic emphasis on Beckett's tragicomedy is easily defended, it turns out. Beckett was influenced by Laurel and Hardy, even describing "Godot" as imparting a "holiday atmosphere," according to biographer Anthony Cronin. Beckett himself, when directing a Berlin production of his play "Endgame," emphasized that its most crucial line was, "Nothing is funnier than unhappiness. I grant you that."
Tanner and D'Agostini keep their lines in almost perpetual slip-and-slide motion throughout, crafting dark hilarity and laughter of the damned made to order. Problems ensue, however, when Pozzo, played by Roger Dunbar, and Lucky, an erstwhile mute servant with one shot at a nonsensical sermon, join them.
Pozzo boasts some of the most solemn tones of the entire play. When delivered alongside the play's central duo, though, the effect is akin to hearing Mozart played alongside Schönberg. As capable as this production is, the balance and counterpoint between its serious moments, as in Pozzo's famous tirade against time, and its dry comedy seem mismatched rather than of a whole.
There are times, too, when the laughs seem insufficiently anchored in the play's underlying pathos. In emphasizing the spirit of Laurel and Hardy, the production seems to overlook the script's more unsettling, even nightmarish, moments.
"We always find something, eh Didi, to give us the impression that we exist?" says Estragon. It's a jarring line in a play full of jarring moments. But when Tanner delivers these words, it's followed by a mile-wide smile.
The set design seems amiss, too. Beckett was among the most exacting playwrights when it came to instructions. There's nothing at all ambiguous about his opening specifications for "A country road. A tree. Evening." Here we have a tree, stage lighting that seems more like daylight, but no road to speak of.
Should you go to this production? Yes, you should go. To cop a well-known instruction from the play itself, but contrary to that given "Didi" and "Gogo," you should even "move" to see it.
Despite minor faults, Sting and Honey deserve exponential credit for tackling the Mount Everest of modern plays as a first run. Tanner's approach is commendable, even if you prefer more solemn touches here and there. If you're at all new to the 20th-century's most radical, and perhaps greatest, playwright, this could be the pathway you've been looking for.
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'Waiting for Godot'
P Sting and Honey Company launches the Beckett play as its inaugural production.
When • Through Sept. 24, 8 p.m., with a 2 p.m. Saturday matinee on Sept. 24.
Where • Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center's Black Box theater, 138 W. 300 South, Salt Lake City.
Info • $15-$22. Call 355-ARTS or visit http://www.stingandhoney.org for more information.
Bottom line • A much-needed rethinking that highlights Beckett's comedy against the plight of humanity. Even if you prefer more somber notes around the edges, and even if the cast struggles at times to mix comedy and tragedy in equal portions, it's well worth your time.
Running time • Two and a half hours with a 15-minute intermission