Waiting is over for award-winning play

Callum Brodie and George Maunsell star in Waiting for Waiting for Godot. The critically acclaimed production is written by award-winning playwright and actor Dave Hanson and directed by Michael Hurst. It comes to Gisborne’s Lawson Field Theatre on Wednesday November 8. Picture supplied

Following a sell-out run at Q Theatre, Auckland, Boyd & Brodie Productions are now touring Waiting for Waiting for Godot across Aotearoa.

This critically acclaimed production, written by award-winning actor/playwright Dave Hanson and directed by Michael Hurst, promises big laughs and a high-quality theatre experience.

Waiting for Waiting for Godot is a comedy about boredom that’s anything but boring. The play follows two hapless understudies as they, fittingly, wait to go on in a production of Samuel Beckett’s iconic Waiting for Godot. Hanson’s script won “Overall Excellence In A Play” award at the 2013 New York International Fringe Festival, and has since been produced in London, Los Angeles, Boston, Istanbul and Budapest to rave reviews. The 2023 Boyd & Brodie production marks the first time this hilarious, absurdist and timely play has been toured across New Zealand.

The production features an all-star cast of Callum Brodie (Downton Abbey), George Maunsell (Our Flag Means Death S2) and television’s Iana Grace (Shortland Street).

Director Michael Hurst is an Officer of The New Zealand Order of Merit and a New Zealand Arts Laureate. He recently completed shooting the TV series The Dead Lands for AMC.

Theatre-goers do not have to work in theatre or have seen Waiting for Godot to enjoy this production. We have all been made to ‘wait’, in one way or another, over the last few years. As such, this absurdist comedy is bound to resonate with all.

What the reviews said: The New York Times 5 Stars “Delectable”;  Time Out New York 5 Stars “Gleefully absurd and self-aware”; My Theatre Mates 5 Stars “An absolute blinder”; Everything Theatre 4 Stars “Laugh out loud. Sharp script. Killer lines”; Please Mind The Blog 4 Stars “Big laughs guaranteed”; The Stage “Absurdist silliness, wit, and abundant charm.”; Minneapolis Post “Smart, speedy and superbly silly.”;  A Younger Theatre “Hanson’s script leaves audiences wiping away tears of laughter.”; Theatreview, “A witty, well-crafted and a powerful reminder that the arts do reflect our humanity and our preoccupations — a role that is vital and necessary.”

■ Waiting for Waiting for Godot by Boyd & Brodie Productions is on at Lawson Field Theatre on Wednesday November 8.