A funny, poetic and tragic masterpiece contemplating humanity and friendship, Samuel Beckett’s Waiting For Godot is performed by an all-Black cast in a new production at the Old Rep Theatre as part of Birmingham Repertory Theatre’s 2012 off-site season.
Jeffery Kissoon and Patrick Robinson take the roles of Vladimir and Estragon – two men waiting hopelessly, helplessly, haplessly for the elusive Godot – with Fisayo Akinada, Guy Burgess and Cornell S. John completing the ensemble.
This production is the first Waiting For Godot to be produced in the UK with an all-Black British cast. Vladimir and Estragon are waiting. Two old men whose compulsion to wait for a visit from the indescribable Godot forces them to pass the time in the only way they can; with and for each other. Stories are told, boots are abandoned, religion is debated, memories of better days are shared, jokes are made, suicide is contemplated, the fear of being alone is overwhelming – and time passes.
Chance meetings happen, arguments take place, thinking occurs, violence is advocated, hats are exchanged, friendship is venerated – and time passes. On a road with a single tree two old friends wait… and pass the time.
In 1969 Samuel Beckett won the Nobel Prize for Literature. A novelist, playwright, poet and theatre director Beckett wrote in both English and French and penned some of the most important works of Twentieth Century literature.
The mysterious and universal Waiting For Godot which was first performed in the UK in 1955 remains one of his most famous and important works. Its true meaning is constantly debated and searched for, yet Beckett was clear in his belief that all you need to know is there in the play.
Trinidadian stage actor Jeffery Kissoon (Vladimir) works regularly with the RSC and will play Caesar in its all-black cast production of Julius Caesar this summer. He performed opposite Kim Cattrall in Antony and Cleopatra (Liverpool Everyman) last year, and was an Associate Artist at Birmingham Repertory Theatre during the nineties playing leading roles in Othello, Macbeth and The Tempest.
Direct from War Horse in the West End, Patrick Robinson plays Estragon. An actor whose work spans stage and screen, Patrick has previously performed at The REP, playing the lead Thomas Peters in 2007’s Rough Crossings, a powerful drama about 18th century slavery written by historian Simon Schama. His television credits include popular and long-running roles in The Bill and Casualty.
Directed by Ian Brown, Waiting For Godot is a co-production between West Yorkshire Playhouse and Talawa Theatre Company. Talawa is Britain’s foremost Black-led theatre company.
Since its inception it has mounted more than 40 productions including African, Caribbean, American and British classics and exciting new writing. The company is currently celebrating its 25th anniversary and Waiting For Godot is the company’s final production under the leadership of outgoing Artistic Director Patricia Cumper.
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‘Waiting For Godot’ The REP @ The Old Rep Theatre, Station Street, Birmingham B5 4DY. Tuesday 13 – Saturday 17 March. Tickets: £10 – £28 (concessions available) Box Office: 0121 236 4455. Book online: www.birmingham-rep.co.uk.
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