Waiting for Godot

 

I cannot lie, the big draw for me of this Beckett classic was Ben Whishaw and he and the whole cast didn't disappoint, doing a great job of bringing what can be a pretty bleak play to life.

Set in a colourless blasted landscape with a nearly dead tree as the only landmark, Vladimir (Ben Whishaw) and Estragon (Lucian Msamati)  are waiting for Godot, their unseen overseer.  Passing through is Pozzo (Jonathan Slinger), and his bound and whipped lacky going by the name of Lucky (Tom Eddon).  In the first half, the long pauses broke up the tragicomedy of the two men trying to find interesting ways to pass the time in an empty, bleak and meaningless world.  As I think is deliberate, the wait for the interval felt interminable at times with the pointless of it all.  Interestingly, the second half picked up a bit in pace, as we have the existential angst of human existence laid out for us.  I really enjoyed the dynamic between Msamati and Whishaw, holding hands like two children steeling themselves against the scary night.  And Whishaw can do brave optimism overlying fear so well, his slight and sometimes balletic movement  a perfect counterpoint to the more stolid Msamati as Estragon.  And I loved the party trick with the hats, this version choosing to up the absurdity and humour, which takes some of the edge of the pointless misery of it all.

Our seats were in the gallery and we actually had a pretty good view except for the one person who just kept wriggling her head back into my eyeline whenever I got comfortable.  But, I’m pleased to confirm it is still possible to see great theatre on a budget, even in the West End.