Audio Books : Literary : MP3/Variable : English

Nobel prize winner Samuel Beckett and this work in particular should need no introduction.

Two tramps sit on a country road, waiting and talking. And that's all. Nothing to be done.

Beckett's influence has been profound. I know most members of this site clicking on this link are probably versed in modern British theatre--but if there are other people from the States who only know the name Beckett, like myself a couple years back, they may be unfamiliar with the name Harold Pinter. If Pinter is a new name for you, but you've come to love the Beckett experience, put TheBox to use and look him up.

If you have an interest in "the theatre of the absurd"--a description coined by Martin Esslin, who along with being a theatre critic has produced radio dramas for the BBC--I recommend his book The Theatre of the Absurd. You can find Esslin's introduction to the book Absurdist Drama on the Net at this link.

Information regarding this production
This production of Beckett's Waiting for Godot was broadcast on the BBC R3 April 16, 2006 and was also released on the budget label Naxos as an audiobook. The reason they have chosen audiobook is twofold: (1) "radio play" is virtually unknown to the contemporary US market and (2) all Beckett's stage directions are read by a narrator.

The director is John Tydeman, head of radio dramas at the BBC for several years in the 80s and early 90s.

Cast
Nigel Anthony - Narrator
Sean Barrett - Vladimir
David Burke - Estragon
Nigel Anthony - Lucky
Terence Rigby - Pozzo
Zachary Fox - The Boy

Technical Information
Disc 1

1. Act I: A country road. A tree. Evening 00:09:11
2. Act I: NARRATOR: Estragon sits down on the mount 00:05:34
3. Act I: VLADIMIR: Listen! 00:02:36
4. Act I: NARRATOR: Estragon drops the carrot 00:09:06
5. Act I: ESTRAGON: What ails him 00:10:18
6. Act I: ESTRAGON: Bags. Why does he always hold 00:08:59
7. Act I: POZZO: Ah, yes! The night 00:10:07
8. Act I: LUCKY: Given the existence as uttered forth… 00:08:59
9. Act I: BOY: Mister! 00:07:44


Disc 2

1. Act II: The next day. The same place. A country road. A tree. Evening
00:09:08
2. Act II: VLADIMIR: When you seek you hear 00:05:15
3. Act II: VLADIMIR: Would you like a radish 00:04:49
4. Act II: NARRATOR: Estragon takes Vladimir’s hat 00:05:18
5. Act II: ESTRAGON/VLADIMIR: Do you - 00:02:27
6. Act II: NARRATOR: Pozzo and Lucky enter. Pozzo is blind 00:03:01
7. Act II: VLADIMIR: Let us not waste our time in idle discourse! 00:04:51
8. Act II: NARRATOR: Vladimir strikes Pozzo who extricates himself… 00:07:24
9. Act II: NARRATOR: With sudden fury Estragon starts kicking Lucky…00:05:24
10. Act II: BOY: Mister… Mr Albert… 00:05:00

Total Playing Time: 02:05:11

Format : MPEG Audio
Format version : Version 1
Format profile : Layer 3
Duration : 02:05:11
Bit rate mode : Variable
Bit rate : 237 Kbps
Channel(s) : 2 channels
Sampling rate : 44.1 KHz

Enjoy and Seed!!