The tragic comedy, which continues this week at the Boulevard Ensemble Studio Theatre, is chock full of pessimism, and because it's really about nothing — other than a couple of guys who must deal with doing nothing — it's hard to pinpoint down what exactly Beckett was trying to convey to his audience except for this one fact: Life is rather pointless.

A cheerful subject now, isn't it? But Beckett wrote "Godot" in the theater of the absurd, and as a result, this almost meaningless play keeps you entertained even while the characters wallow in their own self-pity.

At the heart of "Godot" — directed by David Oswald — are Vladimir (Michael Kane) and Estragon (Howard Goldstein), two scraggly bums who spend two days standing under a tree waiting for Godot. With no direction in life, the duo (also known as Didi and Gogo) contemplates suicide several times. The only thing that keeps them from terminating their otherwise trivial existence is the mysterious figure Godot, who they so dutifully wait for.

The first act lasts the duration of a single day, during which Didi spends most of his energies placating the whiny Gogo who is always hungry, tired, uncomfortable or all three. However, things heat up with the arrival of the eccentric Pozzo (Jason Powell) and his over-worked "slave" Lucky (Jake Blomquist).

These two characters simply add to the absurdity, confusing rather than clarifying the plot, but providing several good laughs along the way. As the sun is setting, a young boy (J.T. Backes) appears to tell Didi and Gogo that Godot will be there the next day.

The second day (and the second act) is nothing more than a variation of the first. The once-bare tree now has buds, Didi and Gogo engage in a humorous name-calling session (using insults like "idiot," "abortion," "cretin" and "moron"), Pozzo returns blind and Lucky mute, and the boy returns to tell them they are to continue to wait for Godot the following day.

But who is Godot? That's a question that even Didi and Gogo can't answer. It is implied that he (or maybe she) is someone of important status, but what Godot wants with these measly men remains unclear. The most obvious interpretation is that Godot stands for God — after all, Didi says that when Godot arrives they will be saved. But when asked about Godot's identity, all Beckett said was "If I had known, I would have said so in the play."

Because "Godot" contains virtually no action, the weight of the play rests on the actors' ability to execute dialogue and relay their character's feelings through facial expressions.

And no one deserves more applause for doing just that than Blomquist, who easily steals the spotlight.

His portrayal of the over-worked Lucky is outstanding and hilarious all at once. With bulging eyes and relentless panting, Blomquist maintains an appearance of absolute exhaustion as Lucky answers to Pozzo's every wish, without uttering a word. After being ordered by Pozzo to "think," Lucky begins a raving, philosophical yet nonsensical monologue, which Blomquist executes with great precision, rambling on at 100 miles a minute, shouting, screaming and changing his voice with every other word.

Goldstein is also alive and animated as he portrays the child-like Gogo; however, his outgoing demeanor at times seems too over-the-top — Gogo's pathetic whines and complaints are a little hard to accept for a grown male, which may have been a failure on Beckett's part for writing Gogo as an unbelievably childish character.

Along with failing to explain Godot's identity, Beckett also chose not to explain several attributes he gave his characters. Didi has to pee whenever he laughs and Gogo can't seem to remember anything for more than five minutes. With no elaboration or explanation, these traits confuse rather than enlighten.

But overall, "Waiting for Godot" is entertaining, and the actors bring so much vitality and life to their characters that you stay interested despite little plot development. As long as you don't take Didi's statement to heart that "all mankind is us" (two miserable tramps), you'll walk away happy.

"Waiting for Godot" runs through Sunday at the Boulevard Ensemble Studio Theatre, 2252 S. Kinnickinnic. Student tickets are $12 except for the Saturday evening performance. Call 744-5757 for more information.