ICE CAPADES PRODUCTION OF WAITING FOR GODOT FOLDS IN THREE WEEKS

NEW YORK -- Billed as "meaningless fun for the entire family!" the Ice Capades production of Waiting for Godot... on Ice! opened three weeks ago with high expectations. Based on the play by Samuel Beckett, it boasted a cast of former Olympians: Brian Boitano and Elvis Stojko as Vladimir and Estragon, Scott Hamilton and Katarina Witt as Pozzo and Lucky, and Oksana Baiul as Winky, a talking penguin. Investors bet heavily that the all-star cast, skating to music written by hitmaker Tim Rice and performed by Elton John, would generate a box office bonanza. They lost their bets -- the production closed its doors yesterday, citing dismal ticket sales and savage reviews.

"I'm very disappointed," said executive producer Jason Reynolds. "It seemed like a natural -- Beckett's brilliant analysis of the absurdity of man's existence... on ice! We added Winky to appeal to younger children, and the songs were terrific: 'Where Did You Go, Godot?', 'We're Pozzo and Lucky, We Are!', and 'Our Inability to Communicate Symbolizes Man's Isolation in This Meaningless Universe (Estragon's Theme).' I don't know how anyone could resist."

"I didn't get it," said Dave Crawford, a Queens plumber who attended the final performance with his wife and two children. "My kids liked the penguin, but mostly it was three hours of people skating around and talking nonsense. I can't believe I missed the Jets game for that shit."

"'Waiting for Godot' is Beckett's most powerful statement on man's inability to know God, or even himself," said Scott Heasty, an NYU drama student. "The contrast and tension it creates between poignancy and nonsense epitomizes the Theater of the Absurd. So they go and add a talking penguin and some pop music. I'm gonna go smoke some weed."

Despite the spectacular failure, Mr. Reynolds remains optimistic about future projects. "I'm working with Disney on an animated version of Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis," he said, "and I'm very excited about a Claymation production of The Death of Ivan Ilyich."

+posted by Lawrence @ 11/27/2003 12:15:00 PM