Ben Whishaw and Lucian Msamati unravel Waiting for Godot and explain “radish junction” on West End opening night

Last night the theatre world turned its spotlight to the Haymarket, where James Macdonald’s revival of Waiting for Godot celebrated its official opening night.

The new production received the full five stars from WhatsOnStage’s lead critic Sarah Crompton, who described it as “profoundly funny and infinitely sad” and “wonderful”.

After the curtain call, we met with cast members Ben Whishaw (who plays Vladimir), Lucian Msamati (Estragon), Jonathan Slinger (Pozzo) and Tom Edden (Lucky) to chat about camaraderie, Beckett interpretations and even radishes.

Watch our opening night video below:

Completing the company are Luca Fone, Alexander Joseph and Ellis Pang sharing the role of The Boy, with Dean Graham (understudy Vladimir and Lucky) and David Lee-Jones (understudy Estragon and Pozzo). Casting is by Amy Ball.

Waiting for Godot revolves around Didi and Gogo, who anxiously await the arrival of an enigmatic figure named Godot, grappling with themes of uncertainty and the intricacies of the human experience.

The creative team includes Rae Smith (set and costume design), Bruno Poet (lighting design), Ian Dickinson and Niamh Gaffney for Autograph (sound design), Kate West (production manager) and Max Harrison (assistant director).

Produced by Kate Horton (Fictionhouse), Len Blavatnik, and Danny Cohen (Access Entertainment), in collaboration with Kate Pakenham Productions, Waiting for Godot plays a limited run at the Theatre Royal Haymarket until 14 December 2024.

Tickets are on sale below.