W

e dare to say that most of those with an interest in stage acts would have spent a period of time in life waiting for Godot, or at least waiting to finally watch Waiting for Godot, a masterpiece in the Theater of the Absurd genre by the ingenious Samuel Beckett.

Those who waited would have adored the absurd conversations Vladimir and Estragon had during the waiting, with even one of their shoes being an interesting topic in the play. Those who have learned the art of waiting have probably come to the conclusion that life is pretty much incoherent with the ideals of life, and that everything relates to waiting for something to happen, that life is a long inevitable process of waiting.

Those who claim to dig theater but have no clue of who or what Godot is should definitely get a copy of Samuel Becket’s work, because Godot is coming. He, or at least the promise of him, will arrive at the Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (KLPAC) every night at 8:30 p.m. from Sept. 1 - 4, 2010 and 3 p.m. on Sept. 5.

The play is definitely one of the most significant English language plays of the 20th century, and you, my friend, are lucky to be able to be there when it takes place.

Even so, the play might not be acted out exactly as you remember it, as the KLPAC’s resident director Kimmy Kiew thinks that two transsexual females could fill the shoes just as charmingly as that of regular men, played by Fairuz Tauhid and Yuki Choe. The play will also present Malaysian singer-songwriter Jerome Kugan in a cameo appearance.

Don’t bother to wonder who will play Godot, as you obviously haven’t read the script.

Tickets, which you can purchase online at KLPAC.com, are priced at 35 ringgit (US$11.50) for public and 23 ringgit for students, disabled and preview night. It might turn out to be an interesting adaptation, although you won’t know unless you’re there.

If you decided to watch the play on its final day, keep in mind that one of the biggest orchestral performances in the country will also take place on Sept. 5 KLPAC at 3 p.m. Presenting up to 80 professional musicians, the KLPAC Orchestra and Penang State Symphonic Band will work together just this one time to bring popular Broadway tunes and a selection of enchanting scores from movies like Superman Returns, Polar Express, James Bond and Mission Impossible, as well musicals such as Mamma Mia and Evita to those who enjoy music under the baton of Lee Kok Leong and Ng Huck Aik.

It will be their first collaboration effort and it will be grand.

The one-day concert, on the other hand, will be held in such generous way, with a mere 10 ringgit donation minimum at the entrance of Pentas 1, KLPAC.

Other events to look forward this week include M Shafarin Ghani’s solo painting exhibition titled "Oeuvre of Movement No. 1" at Core Design Gallery until Sept. 12 and the eye opening "Treasury of the World: Jewelled Arts of India in the Age of Mughals" at Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia, a jewelry exhibition that will run until Dec. 30, 2010.