from the archives at the Beckett International Foundation at the University of Reading:

14 June 1955

Dear Sam,

This piece may have played well in France, but it won’t work here in the States. For one, the character names are too difficult to pronounce. Vladimir and Estragon don’t exactly roll off the tongue. You would need to change them to something more familiar (Bruce and Carl, for instance).

Second, the play is called Waiting for Godot and this Godot fellow never shows up! Folks in this country don’t take too kindly to false advertising. A better title for the play would be Two Guys Talking (or Bruce and Carl Talking). Better yet, you could bring out Godot in the second act and finish with a song and dance number. How about that for an ending? Go out with a bang. We feel this piece could benefit from a little more action. As it stands now, it’s a bit of a bore.

Sorry for the rotten news, Sam. If you’re ever in the States, we’d love for you to come by and see one of our shows. You might even learn a thing or two.

Best Regards,

Willy Hackett

Stars & Stripes Theatre