Simon Callow and Ronald Pickup are to join the already weighty cast of Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart in the forthcoming production of Samuel Beckett’s Waiting For Godot at the Theatre Royal Haymarket from 30 April.
The esteemed quartet is directed by Sean Mathias, whose production of Waiting For Godot is the first instalment in his season as this year’s Artistic Director of the Theatre Royal Haymarket Company.
Callow and Pickup take the roles of Pozzo and his slave Lucky, the second pairing in Beckett’s play which focuses on two consecutive days in the lives of tramps Vladimir (Stewart) and Estragon (McKellen), who are waiting expectantly for the mysterious Godot.
Callow’s extensive stage credits include work for the Royal Shakespeare Company and National Theatre – including Amadeus, Galileo and Single Spies – as well as Restoration for the Royal Court, The Kiss Of The Spider Woman for the Bush theatre and The Mystery Of Charles Dickens in the West End. He is also well known for his screen performances in films including Amadeus, Four Weddings And A Funeral, Shakespeare In Love and Postcards From The Edge, as well as the miniseries Angels In America. Callow has just finished playing Captain Hook in Richmond theatre’s pantomime Peter Pan.
Pickup has had an equally long and illustrious career. He was a member of Laurence Olivier’s National Theatre company at the Old Vic in the 1960s and 70s where he appeared in numerous productions, and has continued to work on the London stage over the years with credits at the Donmar Warehouse, Royal Court and in the West End. He was recently seen in Peter Hall’s production of Uncle Vanya at the Rose Theatre Kingston. His screen work includes the 1978 version of The 39 Steps, Bond film Never Say Never Again, the television series of The Chronicles Of Narnia and, more recently, Holby City.
Waiting For Godot is booking at the Theatre Royal Haymarket until 28 June. It follows Steven Berkoff’s On The Waterfront, which plays at the venue from 28 January to 25 April.
CB