Reeves and Winter Thrill Audience with Bloody Encore on Halloween Night

NEW YORK, NY — Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter delighted audiences at the Hudson Theatre on Halloween night with a memorable encore after their performance of “Waiting for Godot.” Following the show on October 31, the stars stripped down to their underwear and covered themselves in fake blood, eliciting laughter and cheers from the crowd.

The unexpected stunt was a playful homage to Jamie Lloyd, the acclaimed director of their production, who has a penchant for ending shows with his leading men nearly naked and drenched in stage blood. Last year, Lloyd’s revival of “Sunset Blvd.” featured a similar finale, with star wearing only black boxer briefs and a splatter of red fluid.

Reeves, 61, and Winter, 60, returned to the stage after their usual curtain call, sporting black boxer briefs and laughing as they hyped up the audience for the theater’s fall fundraising campaign. The pair has been friends for over 35 years and first teamed up in the 1989 film “Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure.”

“Waiting for Godot,” which began previews on September 13 and opened on September 28, is a classic play that delves into themes of uncertainty and the human condition, following two characters who wait in vain for someone named Godot. The production is set to run until January 4, 2026.

The play, originally penned in French by Samuel Beckett in the late 1940s, made its world premiere in Paris in 1953. Since then, it has seen various revivals on Broadway, the first being in 1956.

During a panel discussion at The New Yorker Festival on October 26, both Reeves and Winter spoke about their Broadway experience and the support they had received from the theater community. While Winter offered friendly advice to Reeves before his debut, they both admitted to feeling nerves on stage.

Winter remarked, “It’s just a stage. Don’t let it zap your head. It’s an audience and a stage, and everyone has been very warm to us.” Reeves echoed Winter’s sentiments about the early jitters, acknowledging that they both felt “similarly paralyzed.”

The Halloween performance reinforced that their friendship and collaboration continue to resonate with audiences, both for their talent and their memorable antics.