Don’t ask me what Waiting For Godot is about because I’m not sure I could tell you. Don’t expect me to explain the plot because I’m not sure there is one. However, I can tell you its current revival at the Theatre Royal Haymarket is as captivating as it is enigmatic and continues to enthral its audience three-quarters of a century after Samuel Beckett wrote it.
The play’s main characters, Estragon (Lucian Msamati) and Vladimir (Ben Whishaw) are two tramps who engage in a range of disconnected discussions while they spend their time waiting by a tree for a mysterious and unknown figure named Godot. Estragon and Vladimir are very different, both physically and in personality.
Estragon is a larger and more down-beat and weary than Vladimir who is slight and more optimistic. Msamati’s portrayal of Estragon is intelligent and nuanced, capturing both the humour and misery of the character. Whishaw brings a quiet intensity to his role, conveying Vladimir‘s enduring sense of hope that shines through the character’s ongoing despair.
Together both actors make a marvellous stage pairing and their contrasting energies superbly highlight the tension between the hope and hopelessness of their plight. The characters bicker and contemplate whether they would be better off apart but they have a close bond and affection that makes you feel they will be forever connected. The chemistry between Msamati and Whishaw was totally convincing and their interplay has a lovely dynamic with a warmth and charm that made them and their characters very endearing.
The supporting cast added another dimension to the production. Jonathan Slinger as the overbearing Pozzo and Tom Edden as his tragic slave Lucky give performances that are a skilful balance of ludicrousness and emotional depth. They arrive on the scene and dominate events for a period that is a mesmerising mix of absurdity, physical comedy and disturbing cruelty.
Pozzo controls Lucky and subjects him to a series of orders that are sometimes trivial, sometimes demeaning but always cruel. Lucky says nothing until Pozzo tells him to think which prompts him to deliver a scene-stealing monologue that seems deep and erudite though not fully comprehensible. The appearance of the mysterious Boy (Alexander Joseph), a messenger who tells Estragon and Vladimir that Godot is not coming that day and reveals that his brother is beaten by Godot, all adds to the enigmatic nature of the production.
The direction by James MacDonald is slick and makes this decades old play feel contemporary and totally engaging and its 2 hour 40 minutes running time rattles by. There is a strong emphasis on the humour of the play even though I didn’t find it to be particularly laugh out loud funny. I hadn’t seen the play previously and didn’t know a great deal about it beforehand but I felt that many in the theatre were more, perhaps too, familiar with what was going to unfold.
At times there was raucous laughter from the audience from lines and events that I felt, at best, only to be mildly amusing which made me feel a bit like an outsider amongst a group of close-knit friends who are telling each other inside jokes that only they understand. Thankfully, there is more to this production than its comedy and it’s a rich blend of themes, ideas and feelings.
Is it about the futility of life, always wating for something that never arrives? Could it be about the enduring optimism of the human spirit, never giving up hope that the thing you are waiting for will eventually happen? It is all of these things and none of them and literature scholars will forever debate the meaning of the play. The joy of this play is that it will mean different things to different people.
The revival of Waiting for Godot at the Theatre Royal Haymarket will entertain not just fans of Beckett but anyone interested in theatre that challenges and leaves you with more questions than answers. It’s worth seeing just for the performances of Msamati and Whishaw’s alone but the whole production, including the direction, the set design and the supporting cast, come together to create an engaging take on a play written decades ago that will make it resonate with audiences today.
Need to know: Waiting for Godot plays at Theatre Royal Haymarket until 14 Dec 2024
