Review: Waiting for Godot | Citizens Theatre, Glasgow

Matthew Kelly and George Costigan star in Dominic Hill's new production of Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot. The show premieres in Glasgow before touring to Liverpool and Bolton. Read my review below.

George Costigan as Vladimir and Matthew Kelly as Estragon. Photo: Mihaela Bodlovic

Waiting for Godot ★★★★☆

review: 25 February 2026 | Citizens Theatre, Glasgow

Waiting for Godot may be a challenging piece of theatre, and Samuel Beckett may not be for everyone, but Dominic Hill's new production of this 70-year-old play for Glasgow Citizens Theatre (and friends) is a sublime staging of the work.

As the curtain rises on the redeveloped Citz auditorium, the audience are met with Jean Chan's post-apocalyptic stage framed by a desolate road on a torn, decaying backcloth. There's the great central tree, but it has grown out of an abandoned car. We're looking at a wasteland that's been abandoned and hopeless for a very long time.

Unable to escape the confines of this scene because they must wait for a man named Godot, Matthew Kelly's Estragon and George Costigan's Vladimir have a similarly aged and neglected look. As they go about their daily routine, the pair of old friends spend their time "blathering about nothing in particular." And why they must wait for Godot, or who he is, remains a mystery.

George Costigan as Vladimir, Matthew Kelly as Estragon and Gbolahan Obisesan as Pozzo in Waiting for Godot at Glasgow Citizens Theatre. Photo: Mihaela Bodlovic

What are we doing here?

Beckett's play is confusing and unsettling, especially with the arrival of Pozzo (Gbolahan Obisesan.) Dressed in bright purples and greens, he brings a shocking injection of colour and loud bravado to the otherwise quiet, dusty scene.

As the powerful Pozzo walks across the stage, he drags with him a slave on a length of rope (Michael Hodgson.) Pozzo refers to this unfortunate creature as "Pig", though we later come to know that the man's name is Lucky.

Hodgson's ability to make us feel horror, without uttering a word, is remarkable. But so good are all four of the central performances here that I don't know that I've ever felt so uncomfortable in a theatre.

But that's the point. Waiting for Godot is still and then shocking; Awful and then heartwarming. What does it all mean? Who are they waiting for and why? What - Vladimir asks the audience at one point, with the house lights fully up - are we doing here?

Michael Hodgson as Lucky in Waiting for Godot. Photo: Mihaela Bodlovic

Waiting for Godot is endlessly fascinating. It's a play that demands you talk about it after the final curtain falls. You may find that everyone's experience and perception of what they have just watched varies wildly.

For me, it's a terrifying and bewildering play. Though irrefutably a work of genius, the existential nature of it all can be a bit heavy. Thankfully, the Citizens' new production of 'Godot' is lavish with wit and warmth. And this fresh approach, with its moments of deadpan humour, should make it more accessible to new audiences.

The heart of this production of Waiting for Godot lies in Kelly and Costigan's sincere, enthralling performances; and with Dominic Hill's careful, generous direction of their real-life, long-term friendship.

Famously a play where nothing happens - twice, Vladimir and Estragon's natural rapport with one another, their closeness, trust and unshakeable friendship in the face of insurmountable dread and hopelessness, is utterly, beautifully, heartbreaking.

There is no greater praise than to say that none of Kelly and Costigan's dialogue felt scripted. Both must surely be nominated come awards season (along with the entire creative team.) ★★★★☆

Waiting for Godot is at Glasgow Citizens Theatre until 8th March 2026.

• 13 February – 8 March 2026 | Citizens Theatre, Glasgow

• 17 March – 4 April 2026 | Liverpool Everyman

• 15 April – 2 May 2026 | Octagon Theatre Bolton

MORE: Read the Waiting for Godot lead cast announcement here: https://www.lisainthetheatre.com/post/waiting-for-godot-citz-cast

George Costigan as Vladimir and Matthew Kelly as Estragon. Photo: Mihaela Bodlovic

MORE: Also playing in Glasgow theatres this week:

A Play, A Pie and A Pint's Spring 2026 season opens with Someone's Knockin' at the Door. Read my review here: https://www.lisainthetheatre.com/post/someones-knockin-at-the-door-review

Agatha Christie's Death on the Nile is at the Theatre Royal. Read my review here: https://www.lisainthetheatre.com/post/review-death-on-the-nile-uk-tour