Writer: Samuel Beckett
Director: Dominic Hill
Samuel Beckett’s masterpiece of the absurd, Waiting For Godot returns in a new production for the first season of the newly rebuilt Citizens Theatre
Vladimir ( George Costigan) and Estragon (Matthew Kelly) famously ruminate on the meaning of human existence while waiting for a man they do not know who never comes.
Beckett’s work has all the hallmarks of the aftermath of World War II, both in subject and in staging, and here, Dominic Hill’s production plays out on Jean Chan’s desolate, bombed out wasteland with that famous, leafless, lifeless tree, firmly centre stage, this time with a rotting car door long embedded in its trunk.
On the surface there is little light to be found in the play’s exploration of existential themes, and while it still remains a challenging work, questions are asked, none are answered, Hill’s production, while necessarily true to the original (Beckett was notoriously protective of both his text and his stage directions) manages to elicit both belly laughs and depressing parallels with the unsettling times in which we live, in equal measure. The greatest takeaway however, is the human connection between the pair, the touching tenderness that can still exist in the face of futility.
Hill draws a brace of exceptional performances from his company of actors. Costigan and Kelly’s chemistry is palpable, born of a real-life friendship of 50 years. Costigan’s upbeat Didi finds hope and glimmers of light in the dark, Kelly’s glorious delivery plays perfectly as the eternally grumpy Gogo. The dialogue is naturalistic, flowing beautifully and believably between the pair. The duo in return receive fine support from the flashy and flamboyant Pozzo (Gbolahan Obisesan) and Lucky his slave (Michael Hodgson) whose extraordinary physical performance provides an uncomfortable watch for the audience.
Vladimir asks: “What are we doing here?”, and while we are unable to answer on an existential level, the answer from the audience perspective is “to witness a masterclass in theatre”. A stunning revival of one of the most important works in the history of theatre.
Runs until 14 March 2026 | Image: Mihaela Bodlovic