B'way Review: Waiting for Godot

Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves in
Waiting for Godot.
Credit: Andy Henderson

The biggest box-office hit of the new, startlingly sparse Broadway fall season is, surprisingly, a revival of Waiting for Godot, Samuel Beckett’s classic comedy-drama of existential despair. Well, maybe, it shouldn’t be such as a surprise since the production marks the reunion of Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter, co-stars of three popular Bill & Ted film comedies, and the Broadway debut of Reeves (Winter appeared as a child actor in The King and I and Peter Pan.) In addition, this weighty work on the question of man’s purpose in the universe has been marketed as a Seinfeld-like comedy about nothing, and the director is white-hot Jamie Lloyd whose Sunset Boulevard, Romeo & Juliet, and A Doll’s House have been innovative and controversial. 

Is this Godot worth the wait and the hype? It depends on your expectations. If you want to see two of your favorite film stars recreating their goofy screen antics, you may be disappointed. If you are familiar with Beckett’s text and are anticipating a deep examination of why we are here with some slapstick thrown in, you will be somewhat satisfied. Lloyd’s production is clever and well-paced, mounting the challenges of Beckett’s difficult script, wherein, yes, very little happens. But his two leads Reeves and Winter fail to fully flesh out the iconic tramps Estragon and Vladimir who seek to find meaning in the futile task of waiting for the enigmatic Godot. Brandon J. Dirden as the pompous wayfarer Pozzo who briefly interrupts their vigil, is much more vibrant, so much so that this revival would be better named Waiting for Pozzo.  

B'way Update: Godot Dates and Theater Confirmed; Etc.

Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter

The upcoming revival of Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot to star Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter (co-stars of three Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure films) has announced dates and a theater. The production to be directed by Jamie Lloyd (Sunset Blvd.) will begin previews Sept. 13 at the Hudson Theater, open on Sept. 28 for a limited run through Jan. 4, 2026. This will be the fifth Broadway production of Beckett's classic existential comedy-drama. Previous Broadway stagings have starred Bert Lahr and EG Marhsall (1956); Earl Hyman and Mantan Moreland (1957); Nathan Lane and Bill Irwin (2009); Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart (2013). Major Off-Broadway revivals have starred Robin Williams and Steve Martin (1988); Jon Turturro and Tony Shalhoub (1998); and Michael Shannon and Paul Sparks (2023). Additional casting for this production will be announced at a later date.

Additional news: Leslie Odom, Jr. will return to the Broadway company of Hamilton in his Tony-winning role of Aaron Burr, Sept. 9--Nov. 23.

Signature Theater Company has announced three productions for its 2025-26 Off-Broadway season: Oratorio for Living Things, Heather Christian's musical-theater piece which won several awards during a 2022 Off-Broadway run (fall); Lauren Yee's Mother Russia, a dark comedy set in 1992 St. Petersburg (winter); and Christian's Animal Wisdom, a musical blending of storytelling, mythology, blues, folk, and gospel (spring 2026).

B'way Update: Reeves, Driver; Cast for MACNEAL; Etc.

Where's Godot, Dude?
Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves will
reunite for the Beckett play.

Keanu Keeves and Alex Winter, co-stars of Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure and its two sequels, will reunite for a Broadway revival of Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot, to be directed by Jamie Lloyd (Sunset Boulevard) in the fall of 2025. This will be Reeves' Broadway debut. Winter appeared as a child actor in 1970s revivals of The King and I and Peter Pan. 

“It is a real honor to be collaborating with the brilliant Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter on Samuel Beckett’s sublime masterpiece—one of the greatest plays of all time," says Lloyd in a statement. 

“We’re incredibly excited to be on stage together and work with the great Jamie Lloyd in one of our favorite plays," add Reeves and Winter.