Samuel Beckett's 'Waiting for Godot' coming to Chester theatre

Regarded as the Irish playwright’s finest work, Waiting for Godot will be staged by Chester Little Theatre from Saturday, May 4 until Saturday, May 11 at 7.30pm.

Directed for the Chester venue by Jonathan Johnston, the play tells the story of two wandering tramps, Vladimir and Estragon, who wait by a lonely tree to meet up with Mr Godot, an enigmatic figure in a world where time, place and memory are blurred, and meaning is where you find it.

The tramps hope that Godot will change their lives for the better. Instead, two eccentric travellers arrive, but they have their own concerns and aren’t interested in helping the tramps. The results are both funny and dangerous.

Waiting for Godot is Beckett’s reworking of his own original French-language play, En attendant Godot, subtitled ‘a tragicomedy in two acts’.

The cast of 'Waiting for Godot' during rehearsals at Chester Little Theatre. (Image: Stephen Cain Photography.)

The original French text was composed by Beckett between 9 October 1948 and 29 January 1949. The premiere, directed by Roger Blin, was on 5 January 1953 at the Théâtre de Babylone in Paris. The English-language version premiered in London in 1955. In a poll conducted by the National Theatre in 1998/99, it was voted the most significant English-language play of the 20th century.

Speaking about directing the play for Chester Little Theatre, Jonathan Johnston said: “I first came across Waiting For Godot at college in 2009. I hated it when I read it but by the time the play was on its feet, I thought it was one of the funniest, quirkiest plays I’d been involved in! When I was asked to direct the play, I certainly wasn't going to miss the opportunity to revisit an old favourite, and, what better way to make my directorial debut at Chester Little Theatre!

“It is considered a masterpiece of existentialism, in which Samuel Beckett explores the futility of man’s hope. For me, the play questions what life is without purpose. If Godot doesn’t turn up then the characters purpose is not fulfilled. Can we live a full and meaningful life without purpose? Is life wasted without fulfilling our purpose? Whilst we may not get any answers during the course of the play, I do think it's something worth thinking about.”

“It is considered a masterpiece of existentialism, in which Samuel Beckett explores the futility of man’s hope. For me, the play questions what life is without purpose. If Godot doesn’t turn up then the characters purpose is not fulfilled. Can we live a full and meaningful life without purpose? Is life wasted without fulfilling our purpose? Whilst we may not get any answers during the course of the play, I do think it's something worth thinking about.”

Full details about the upcoming performance can be found at: www.chesterlittletheatre.co.uk.