REVIEW: While They Were Waiting, Upstairs at the Gatehouse

The British used to view waiting as a national pastime. It was practically a cultural institution – almost an art form. Yes, young ones, believe it or not waiting was often a source of enjoyment; whether one was waiting for the dentist or queuing for the Harrods sale, you chatted to people and looked around.

Alas that pastime vanished when waiting online glued to our new-fangled phones became the thing. No one talks to each other or relishes the anticipation and that’s why While They Were Waiting feels like a deliciously absurd antidote. Written by and starring Gary Wilmot, who is joined by the brilliant Steve Furst, this gripping two-hander asks us to do the unthinkable: sit still and watch two people wait for someone to answer a bright yellow door.

The premise is suspiciously simple. Just two people passing the time while they wait for a door to open. Sometimes the door is described as an opportunity and sometimes it feels like hope. But as the play unfolds, it slowly becomes clear that it may represent something else entirely. It may sound heavy, but the play never becomes gloomy. Instead, it tackles those existential ideas with sharp comic wordplay and flashes of insight, letting the audience laugh one moment and quietly recognise something truthful the next. The play even lets the audience in on the joke. With a few knowing winks and playful breaks of the fourth wall, the characters seem fully aware of the absurdity of their predicament — and, perhaps, of ours as well.

As Bix, Wilmot brings natural charm and comic ease to the stage, while Steve Furst is fantastic as Mulberry, grounding the character’s eccentricity with warmth and impeccable comic timing. The two bounce off each other beautifully, creating a sense of easy companionship that feels both authentic and deeply funny.

Ultimately, beneath the absurdity, the play is about companionship. Waiting is rarely just about the thing you’re waiting for. It is about who you are waiting with, and the sometimes-ridiculous conversations that fill the silence. There’s a clear nod to Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot, but where Beckett famously leaves everything unresolved, Wilmot chooses to tie things up in a neat bow, sending the audience home satisfied rather than agitated.

In a world obsessed with instant gratification, While They Were Waiting quietly celebrates the lost art of patience. It suggests that the real meaning of waiting may not lie behind the door at all, but in the strange, funny and deeply human experience of waiting together.

While They Were Waiting is at Upstairs at the Gatehouse until 22 March. upstairsatthegatehouse.co.uk