In short
Writer-director Ben David Grabinski discusses his “treat” of the Broadway revival of Waiting for Godot, focusing on its absurdism, paranoia/loyalty themes, and how seeing it three times changed his perception.
Guests
No separate guests; the episode features Ben David Grabinski as the speaker, with Elvis Mitchell as host.
Guest backgrounds
Grabinski is a writer-director known for comedies noir about loyalty and paranoia; he recently made the Hulu film Mike and Nick and Nick and Alice.
Key claims
Jamie Lloyd’s direction is inspiring; the performances by Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter create shifting “shading” that makes the dialogue/order feel different each viewing.
Notable examples
Grabinski cites his prior London experience seeing Lloyd’s Evita and calls Sunset Boulevard “mind-blowing,” then describes Godot as inducing a “fugue state” like the characters.
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Chapters
Tap a time to open that second in VOExploring Waiting for Godot
0:45 to 2:55
Ben David Grabinski shares his insights on the Broadway revival of Waiting for Godot.
“I saw it three times because I was really blown away by it.”
The Balance of Comedy and Drama
2:55 to 3:46
Grabinski discusses the intricacies of writing characters that balance humor and depth.
“Who am I to tell my private nightmares to if I can't tell them to you?”
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:00I'm Elvis Mitchell. Welcome to The Treat. Writer-director Ben David Grabinski makes comedies noir about loyalty and paranoia. His newest is the Hulu film Mike and Nick and Nick and Alice. For his treat, he makes note of the Broadway revival of an absurdist comedy about paranoia and loyalty, starring a pair of actors known for playing dudes who remain loyal under the most absurd circumstances. Hi, I'm Ben David Grabinski, and this is The Treat.
0:37I wanted to talk about the recent run of Waiting for Godot on Broadway, directed by Jamie Lloyd and starring Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter.
0:57I saw it three times because I was really blown away by it. Jamie Lloyd is someone who I find very inspiring. I went to London to see his run of Evita. I thought his Sunset Boulevard was really mind-blowing. And I thought it was confounding in an amazing way because it leaned into a lot of stuff I love about buddy comedies. But, you know, we know Godot. And then you also have the added layer of, like, Alex and Keanu together.
1:32I just found it very inspiring and engaging, and the nature of it, the absurdism, and the kind of way that sometimes it's impossible to really know the intention behind stuff. I haven't seen a play, like, multiple times, and when I saw that one three times, every time it felt different. It felt like there was a different shading to their performances. It made me also feel disoriented in a way where I felt like, was this the same order of dialogue last time? There's this thing about the tone of it and the disconnect from kind of normal reality where I kind of felt like I was caught in the same fugue state as the characters.
2:15What a day. Who beat you? Tell me. Another day done with. Not yet. For me, it's over and done with no matter what happens. Just those two performers just felt really interesting. I thought Alex was incredible and is a really underrated actor and I love Keanu and it combined a lot of things I love in a way that I didn't expect. And it felt like I was trying to get under the hood of it or trying to understand why I liked it. And it's the same thing I try to do with my stuff, even though I wouldn't say that anything I write is anything like Waiting for Godot. But it did feel like it was a bunch of kind of disparate choices that did cohere into a thing I hadn't seen before.
2:55Who am I to tell my private nightmares to if I can't tell them to you? Let them remain private. You know I can't bear that. There are times when I wonder if it wouldn't be better for us to part. You wouldn't go far. I'd say most people are not as smart as they think that they are, you know, and or and then also they're too hard on themselves at the same time. So there's like a balance of both of those things where it's like, you know, you got to find grace for people. And then also a lot of people, we do kind of have our buffoon moments and we either have shame about them or we don't. But I think that writing characters and sort of leaning into that is it's maybe a crutch.
3:32but it's also, I just think anything that works for both drama and comedy simultaneously is to me like a great tool set.
3:45It worked on a lot of levels and I really have not stopped thinking about it. Do you want to play? I ring around the rosy house Got the Nopoli Red night, green night T-I-D-G-Farby Party, drink, drink, drink Writer and director Ben David Grabinski on his enjoyment of the Broadway revival of Waiting for Godot starring Keanu Reeves and our old friend Alex Winter The Treat is produced by Rebecca Mooney and mixed by Katie Gilchrist Party on dudes I'm Elvis Mitchell It's The Treat I'm gonna play with me With me Do you, do you wanna play? Play with me Do you, do you wanna Do you wanna play? Play with me Play with me Spin a bottle, ball, phone, kiss and tail
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From the publisher
Writer-director BenDavid Grabinski’s newest film, the crime caper 'Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice,' is in part an homage to the independent films of the ‘70s. For his treat, he pays tribute to a recent Broadway revival starring two performers known for going back in time and having a most excellent adventure.