THE INFORMATION ON: 'Waiting for Godot'

What Is It?

Matthew Lloyd's revival of Samuel Beckett's defining 20th-century drama about two tramps waiting for something that will give meaning to their seemingly pointless existence.

Who's In It?

Richard Wilson (right, aka Victor Meldrew in One Foot in the Grave) as Vladimir, is the latest in a long line of comic actors - including Rik Mayall and Robin Williams - drawn to Beckett's despairing play. With Brian Pettifer as Estragon, Nicky Henson as Pozzo and James Duke as Lucky.

What They Say About It

"Wilson exactly disciplines his capacity for idiosyncrasy so as to ensure that so many lines that could be sounded for deep significance are pitched to stay securely within the level of dialogue without being flattened, and none of the comedy is merely ingratiating," Jeffrey Wainwright, The Independent.

"Lloyd's production is short on musicality: what it has is the sense of desperation that underlies the two men's craving for salvation and redemption ... a good Godot rather than a great one," Michael Billington, The Guardian.

"While this is a production that elicits some of the gallows humour, never for a moment does it locate the terror or the despair," Jeremy Kingston, The Times.

Where You Can See It

Waiting for Godot is at Manchester Royal Exchange (0161-833 9833) to 26 Jun