X-Men Rivals Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen Reunite for London Godot

Acting legends Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen, who play rivals in the popular X-Men movies, will team up to star in a new production of Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot. Directed by Sean Mathias, the play will begin previews at the Theatre Royal Haymarket on April 30, 2009, following a U.K. tour.

Stewart, who will play Vladimir, is currently starring as Claudius in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s production of Hamlet. He was nominated for Olivier and Tony Awards last season for his portrayal of Macbeth in Rupert Goold’s acclaimed production and is best known for his role as Captain Jean-Luc Picard on Star Trek.

McKellen will play Estragon. Widely known for his role as Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings films, he has also won a Tony Award for Amadeus and appeared on Broadway in Dance of Death, Wild Honey and Ian McKellen: Acting Shakespeare. His many film credits include Gods and Monsters and X-Men.

Waiting for Godot revolves around two seemingly homeless men waiting for someone—or something—named Godot. Vladimir and Estragon wait near a tree on a barren stretch of road, inhabiting a drama spun from their own consciousness. The result is a comical wordplay of poetry, dreamscapes and nonsense, which has been interpreted as a somber summation of mankind’s inexhaustible search for meaning. Beckett’s first professionally produced play, Waiting for Godot premiered in Paris in 1953 and on Broadway in 1956 at the Golden Theatre starring Bert Lahr and E.G. Marshall. Waiting for Godot was last seen in the West End in 2006, in a 50th anniversary staging directed by Peter Hall.

This Godot will feature scenic design by Stephen Brimson Lewis and lighting design by Paul Pyant. Further casting is to be announced.

A Broadway production of Waiting for Godot, starring Tony winners Nathan Lane and Bill Irwin, is set for an April bow at Studio 54.