Godot Diaries

From seminal actor Lucian Msamati comes a fascinating behind-the-scenes account of working on the major 2024 production of one of the most iconic plays ever written - Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot. From receiving the call offering him the role of Estragon to the opening night at London's Theatre Royal Haymarket, Lucian Msamati's rehearsal diary enables us to better understand Beckett's play from the inside and, crucially, from an actor's perspective. A welcome antidote to the extensive academic literature available on the play, this book gives us a behind-the-scenes perspective on this play from audition to script-reading to polished performance. With a cast made up of other seminal actors Ben Whishaw, Jonathan Slinger and Tom Edden, James Macdonald's production of Waiting for Godot sheds light on so many of the play's themes and preoccupations, while bringing a new lens in casting a Black actor in the role of Estragon. We join Lucian Msamati as he embarks on the journey from page to stage, never knowing what the next day will bring and sharing in revelation after revelation as he revisits this play as an actor 20 years after first reading it. We also are witness to how a West End production takes shape, from assembling its cast to the first night and beyond, including the rehearsal-room dynamics, dramaturgical light-bulb moments, and the day-to-day life of actors working with one another to bring words on a page to vivid life.