THEATRE: WAITING FOR GODOT

It’s hard to say whether the excitable crowd are waiting for Godot, or Gandalf. This production of the Samuel Beckett classic is burdened with the kind of weight most stages would be grateful for; a script that is known but not comfortable; a mega-watt Hollywood mainstay (Ian McKellan or Gandalf as he is known to the Lord of the Rings generation); and all the requisite hype that comes with the combination of the two. As the curtain ascends and the hushed audience soaks in Beckett’s to-and-fro banter, scathing satire, and existential undertones, it is clear it is not to be disappointed. This incarnation is played out just how you would expect, and it therefore meets expectations. A bare, industrial skin-and-bones set looms hauntingly behind the scruffy duo Estragon (McKellan) and Vladimir (Roger Rees) who interminably wait, and wait, and wait. Only portly Pozzo (Matthew Kelly) and his ironically named slave, Lucky (Brendan O’Hea) break up the monotony. Despite the big names and West End production values, the beauty of Beckett is you become mesmerised with minutiae, and so before long you forget who or what is on stage, and only ponder when this so-called Godot might arrive.

Until Jul 11, Drama Theatre @ Sydney Opera House, $159, 9250 7777, sydneyoperahouse.com