'Waiting For Godot' Strikes A Chord In Tehran
At the National Theater in downtown Tehran, "Waiting for Godot" seems to have captured the mood of a country.
The Irish playwright, Samuel Beckett dramatized endless waiting in vain for someone named Godot. The play, translated into Farsi, got a standing ovation on the night I attended. The characters, in classic white suits, black top hats and black shoes, took endless bows as the audience whistled and clapped.
Iran is also waiting. It is waiting for the outcome of negotiations with six world powers over the country's nuclear program. Iranians are waiting for an end to punishing international sanctions that sent prices skyrocketing. The country is waiting to open for business again after the punitive measures that have isolated Iranian banks, frozen oil assets and shut down most official international trade.
Some in the audience worried that Iran — like Beckett's characters — will wait in vain.
"'Waiting for Godot' is our hope for future, and we never reach it," says Sheyda Mejani, 22, a finance major who was standing outside the theater with her friends after the final curtain.
But Nadar Safari, another college student from the group, was more upbeat. She said parallels to "Waiting for Godot" are not quite right because she's convinced Iran will reach a long-term nuclear deal.
Businessmen Are More Upbeat
Her opinion was also shared at the grand bazaar, the capital's chaotic market of small shops and crowded walk ways. For many merchants, hope has made a comeback.
Amir Farhat sells carpets mainly to international clients. He served tea at his showroom as he explained that his business dwindled to a halt because sanctions blocked international banking transactions.
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