Samuel Beckett’s play was considered a major turning point in the development of drama when its arrival in the mid-1950s revolutionised 20th-century theatre – its influence heralding the way for such playwrights as Pinter and Stoppard.

Although Becket did not agree with its classification, his play was held to be an essential example of “theatre of the absurd”.

By dispensing with traditional storylines and characters, absurdist theatre provided its audience with a disorientating experience. It was believed disorientation truly reflected the uncertainty of the post-war years, with chaos replacing the traditional and rational order of things.

The play centres on Estragon and Vladimir, two elderly tramps, waiting against a bleak landscape for the arrival of the mysterious Godot. Their background is unknown, but their conversation suggests they were once respectable. How they became homeless remains unanswered.

While they wait they share conversation, food and memories, often voicing suicidal thoughts.

Their waiting is interrupted by the arrival of the bullying Pozzo and his tethered slave, Lucky, who is forced to entertain them. Eventually a boy arrives with a message that Godot will not be there today but will tomorrow.

The meaning of the play baffled its original audience and has continued to do so ever since. Who are the tramps? Who is Godot? Are they allegorical and, if so, what do they represent? Becket dismissed the interpretation Godot is God. “If I meant that I would have called him that,” he is reported to have said.

But in this production, you can just sit back and enjoy comic acting at its best.

With a set resembling a demolished theatre, director Sean Mathias has Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart playing the two tramps as former music hall artistes, forever breaking into cross- talking patter and slapstick routines.

They give superlative performances, squeezing every ounce of comedy from the script, as well as conveying the pathos of a couple who cannot exist without each other.

There is excellent support from Simon Callow and Ronald Pickup, but the evening belongs to the two theatrical giants.

  • Call 08700 606650