“Kimberly Akimbo” and “Waiting for Godot.”

Rainn Wilson and Aasif Mandvi star in the Geffen Playhouse’s new production of Samuel Beckett’s absurdist classic ‘Waiting for Godot.’

Bert Lahr, the cowardly Lion from “The Wizard of Oz,” starred in the 1956 American premiere of “Waiting for Godot” directed by Alan Schneider at Coconut Grove Playhouse, of all places.

Geffen Playhouse artistic director Tarell Alvin McCraney, who grew up in the shadow of this Miami theater, has long had a special place in his affections for “Waiting for Godot” — one of the reasons he wanted to revisit the classic so early in his tenure.

Sean Mathias’ 2013 Broadway production of “Waiting for Godot,” starring Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart, swung so far in the direction of tragedy that it was as if play were being intoned from deep inside an abyss.