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Waiting for Godot with Mckellen and Stewart opens 30 April 09

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#2

re: Waiting for Godot with Mckellen and Stewart opens 30 April 09

I wont be waiting around for this one!
Why do top names always line up to star in this dreary, boring and endlessly mind numbing play?
The only good thing about this is the appointment of Sean Mathias as the Artistic Director for the Theatre Royal Haymarket 2009.
One thing I hope he doesn't do is give Lady Serena another pop at Bent! Please not 'Bent'

Updated On: 10/31/08 at 08:23 AM

#3

re: Waiting for Godot with Mckellen and Stewart opens 30 April 09

shame this is the most boring play in the world, otherwise I'd be tempted to see it!

First time I read this play I just thought to myself, ohhh, something exciting is about to happen, and then it ended, and when I put it down, I was the happiest I had been since starting to read it, as it meant the boredom was over!
#5

re: Waiting for Godot with Mckellen and Stewart opens 30 April 09

I had to do a scene from this for my drama assessment last year, I learnt the lines in like 5 minutes and it was so boring. I don't know the play other than that scene but it didn't inspire me to find out more about it or anything at all!
#6

re: Waiting for Godot with Mckellen and Stewart opens 30 April 09

"He never turns up!
Wise old man, probably stayed in the pub instead of wasting a night with these two!"

Well if the audience are wise, they wont turn up as well, they should just rename this
" Waiting for everyone"
#8

re: Waiting for Godot with Mckellen and Stewart opens 30 April 09

How is it not significant? For a 55 year old play - the most widely-known work from a prolific and greatly-admired playwright - it's showing no signs of falling out of the canon any time soon. For every person who finds it dull and pointless, there's another who finds it endlessly fascinating and thought-provoking. This play has caused countless other playwrights to write related works (prequels, sequels, reworkings, directly inspired by), and that's before we get into the endless references in popular culture. Two of the UK's most internationally revered classical actors have been coaxed into performing this divisive piece during what could easily be a full-blown economic depression come the end of April in a theatre that's REALLY not seeing any hits at the moment when they could easily go "nooo, I want more money, make it cinema" or "nooo, if I'm doing serious play work, I'm sticking with the RSC".

It may not be to your taste, it may not be a twinkly good time, but it is most certainly significant. I'm definitely looking forward to it, even if that lumbers me firmly in a minority.

Notes from the Earlham Street Gutter
#10

re: Waiting for Godot with Mckellen and Stewart opens 30 April 09

theres a fab monologue in Willy Russell's 'Breezeblock park' which takes the pee outta waiting for godot - it never fails to make me smile!

"Don't talk to me about theatres! I went to one once. 'Ey, John, what was the name of the play, that play I took you an' y' mother to see when it was rainin' in town? Remember? Waitin' for Godot. That was it. I'll tell y' about theatres. We went in to see this thing, it was about these tramps waitin' for this mate of theirs. Well, I'm not kiddin' you. All this audience were sittin' there waitin' for him as well. I could see straightaway what was gonna happen though. I'd been there for five minutes an' I knew. I opened up me programme didn't I, John? An' I looked down the list, y'know, where it gives the names of the characters like? An' straightaway I knew, didn't I? His name's not there in the programme y'see, this Godot's. Well, it's common sense, if his name's not in the programme he's never gonna show up. Y' could wait a hundred years an' he'd still never walk onto the bloody stage. But all the rest of these stupid buggers in the place - they didn't have the sense to look in the programme an' work it out for themselves. I slipped out to this cafe next door an' read the paper. I laughed meself silly at the rest of them next door. When our John come out with his mum, I said to him, didn't I, John? I said to him - don't tell me - the Godot feller didn't turn up!"
The Artist Formally Known As 'Anon2'
#11

re: Waiting for Godot with Mckellen and Stewart opens 30 April 09

re: Waiting for Godot with Mckellen and Stewart opens 30 April 09

I love 'Breezblock Park' haven't seen it for about 20 years now- they should do a major revival of it soon! I also remember that speech- absolutely hilarious. That coming from one of the UKs most important writers of the last 50 years -brilliant!
*take a look at the names in the above cast! Julie Walters! Pete Poselthwaite! Prunella Scales!

Updated On: 11/1/08 at 11:00 AM

#13

re: Waiting for Godot with Mckellen and Stewart opens 30 April 09

I like a bit of Beckett :) I always feel it goes on to long but I still enjoy it. Saw a great production of Godot at the Citz in Glasgow earlier in the year -rather packed house as I recall (partic midweek) and the audience certainly appreciated it.
#14

re: Waiting for Godot with Mckellen and Stewart opens 30 April 09

re: Waiting for Godot with Mckellen and Stewart opens 30 April 09

One of the best remembered and most celebrated productions was given in 1981 at the Roundhouse Theatre in Camden. It starred one of the UKs greatest ever comedy actors, Max Wall. He stared alongside a great actor, Trevor Peacock who is now very wel know for 'The Vicor Of Dibley' . Beckett himself declared this to be his favorite production of his play.
And now...
You wait for one and two come along together!
Broadway gets a new production of 'Waiting For Godot' at exactly the same time as London does.
The Roundabout Theatre are producing the play at Studio 54 with Bill Irwin and Nathan Lane.
Interesting casting on both sides, London gets two classical theatre greats while New York gets two comedy greats.

Updated On: 11/3/08 at 02:18 PM

#15

re: Waiting for Godot with Mckellen and Stewart opens 30 April 09

Add me to the list of people who'll be somewhere other than the Haymarket during this run. I'm thrilled for the Beckett fans to have a production of this calibre, but I absolutely abhor this play.

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