I went to see Waiting for Godot at the Barbican last night. It was an excellent performance and I’d recommend it if you’re in London.
Johnny Murphy was perfectly physically embodied as Estragon. Barry McGovern as Vladimir was more ‘actorly’ though I think he had the more difficult role as he had to express a greater awareness of the external world and eventually of the futility of their wait. It’s difficult to know what to say about the staging and lighting because I think Beckett left quite detailed instructions, but they were simple and effective.
In a weird way, the whole thing made me very glad I’m not a teenager anymore. I was such an angst-ridden nihilist, struggling with an existentialist crisis, and plays like this didn’t help. I guess the external validation was good, but it’s nice not to care so much anymore.