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<i> Arts and entertainment reports from The Times, national and international news services and the nation's press</i>

Women can wait for Godot just as well as men, even if Irish-born playwright Samuel Beckett doesn’t want them to, a Dutch court ruled on Friday in The Hague. A Haarlem district court rejected an appeal by Beckett to ban a Dutch theater from performing his famous play, “Waiting for Godot,” with actresses rather than actors. Beckett, who lives in France, originally approved plans by Haarlem’s Toneelschuur Theater to put on “Waiting for Godot” but changed his mind when he learned women would play all four roles. He said he had intended men to perform his play. The theater defied him and went on with the show, which opened earlier this month to favorable reviews. Theater officials say they had no intention of changing the meaning of the play or offending the playwright when they chose actresses.

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