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End of the road: Beckett's bleak vision on stage
26 Feb
Summary
- Staging presents a grim, post-apocalyptic vision of Beckett's classic.
- Actors embody despair and interdependence in a barren landscape.
- The production blends bleak humor with existential dread.
Citizens Theatre in Glasgow presents a chilling, post-apocalyptic interpretation of Samuel Beckett's classic, directed by Dominic Hill. The production, a co-collaboration with Liverpool Everyman and Bolton Octagon, eschews traditional music hall echoes for a desolate "end of the road" atmosphere.
Jean Chan's design features a barren, charred tree and a lost highway backdrop. The safety curtain itself evokes a morbid ambiance, grinding upwards to reveal a world at the end of history. Matthew Kelly as Estragon and George Costigan as Vladimir embody the play's existential dread, their characters adrift in a bleak landscape.
Costigan's Vladimir attempts to rally his morose partner, Kelly, who is plagued by physical discomfort. Their interactions, marked by northern English accents and wild beards, capture a profound interdependence. Gbolahan Obisesan as Pozzo and Michael Hodgson as Lucky intrude upon this desolation, injecting a cruel and darkly humorous edge to the proceedings.
