Dublin troupe delivers flawless ‘Godot’

Those who agree with the waggish critic’s assessment that Samuel Beckett’s literary style was more “miserabilism” than minimalism would do well to rush to UCLA’s Freud Playhouse, where Dublin’s Gate Theatre is performing “Waiting for Godot” as part of UCLA Live’s celebration of Beckett’s centenary. Of course, bad Beckett can be excruciating, but when he is interpreted by masters, as he is here, the result can be transcendent.

A reprise of Walter Asmus’ 1988 staging at the Gate, this justly renowned “Godot” has toured widely during the ensuing decades and features many of the original cast from that seminal production. In fact, with the exception of Barry O’Connell, who plays the Boy -- and nicely, too -- these are the same actors who played “Godot” at the Freud in 2000.

Vladimir (Barry McGovern), otherwise known as Didi, is a wandering hobo trapped in an existential landscape, beautifully evoked by Louis le Brocquy’s suitably stark set and Rupert Murray’s eerily abrupt lighting. A cockeyed optimist in purgatory, Didi is upbeat in defiance of his bleak circumstances, whereas his constant companion, Estragon (Johnny Murphy), a.k.a. Gogo, is more generally despairing. Day in and day out, the duo awaits the elusive Godot, who, famously, never arrives.

Their surreal vigil is interrupted by the pompous Pozzo (Alan Stanford), whose fruity British intonations contrasts with the other characters’ Irish dialects to pointedly political effect. Pozzo’s sadly exploited menial, Lucky (Stephen Brennan), completes this quartet of sad clowns -- all pitifully, hilariously emblematic of mankind’s sadder lot.

Those who saw “Godot” at the Freud in 2000 may be inclined to give this one a pass. Don’t make that mistake. There’s been a mysterious alchemy at work in the interim, a deepening of meaning and execution that is even more dazzling than before.

That’s largely due to Asmus’ durable direction, which keeps the action at a leisurely gallop -- if indeed, one can define the goings-on here as action in the conventional sense. However, the actors -- who have been playing the same roles, on and off, for decades -- are the real miracle here. Familiarity, in this case, breeds brilliance. These are not performances, but life works, case studies in what can result when sheer talent fuses with a luminous text. McGovern, Murphy, Brennan and Stanford lace their characters with a rich humor and humanity that will make you think, and laugh, and think again. Theirs are definitive performances in a definitive production that will illuminate Beckett’s genius for anyone who has ever doubted it.

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‘Waiting for Godot’

Where: Freud Playhouse, Macgowan Hall, UCLA

When: 8 p.m. today, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, 7 p.m. Sunday

Ends: Sunday

Price: $42 to $60

Contact: (310) 825-2101

Running time: 2 hours, 40 minutes