We were a little surprised to read in Michael Riedel’s column this morning of an upcoming Broadway production of Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot, possibly starring Nathan Lane (as Estragon) and Bill Irwin (as Vladimir). “The revival will slip in just under the wire of the April 30 Tony Award cutoff date, setting the stage for what could be a fiercely contested race for Best Actor in a Play,” Riedel explains. Makes sense, we guess, but just yesterday Playbill reported a cancellation of the pre-Broadway run of Godot in Seattle, with a spokesman for the Seattle Repertory Theatre saying that a commercial partner “decided not to go forward with a New York production of Godot and with the loss of this co-producer, plans for a Seattle to Broadway transfer were abandoned.”
So, is Riedel wrong? We kind of doubt it — he may mix up Bon Jovi and Bono, but the man knows his Nathan Lane. Is the Tony-winning actor enough of a draw to attract a backer and just skip the Seattle run? Is Bill Irwin, after his brilliant turn in Rachel Getting Married? We don’t know! But Riedel seems pretty confident: “What fun it will be to watch him swap insults with Irwin, culminating in the cutting insult — ‘Critic!’ … I think it’s safe to say that the Tony nomination he didn’t get this year will come his way in 2009.” Still, it’s not certain. No, nothing is certain.
LANE CHANGE FOR ‘GODOT’ [NYP]
Waiting for Godot, with Bill Irwin, Will Not Play Seattle Rep [Playbill]
