Review: While They Were Waiting at Upstairs at the Gatehouse

⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Four Stars)

Gary Wilmot’s debut play, currently running at Upstairs at the Gatehouse, explores the concept of waiting in a two-hander directed by Sydney Stevenson and starring Wilmot and Steve Furst. Though not the first play to tackle waiting as its central theme, While They Were Waiting manages to combine humour and tenderness as two men with seemingly opposite personalities begrudgingly become friends during their long and mysterious wait.

The play begins with two men separately arriving at a handleless yellow door and, upon the first pressing the doorbell, proceeding to wait for a response, neither knowing quite what lies beyond the mysterious door besides “an opportunity”. Mulberry (Furst) loves to wait, describing it as his favourite hobby (with the excellent rationale that it requires much less equipment than golf), and so quickly becomes exasperated by his new companion Bix (Wilmot), who is impatient for the door to open and keen to press the doorbell again. The two men spend the next ninety minutes of this one-act play tying each other up in linguistic knots over concepts such as whether a person can be simultaneously “here” and “there”, and why two sausages on a plate are plural, yet when placed between slices of bread become a singular sausage sandwich. As the play progresses, it takes a more existential turn, alongside the introduction of metatheatrical elements that see the characters muse on what flies on their hypothetical fourth wall might think as they watch them.

Wilmot and Furst share a great rapport on stage, bickering and winding one another up while gradually building a believable friendship that is genuinely touching by the end. Each brings quirky characterisation and plenty of humour to their role: incredibly important given the minimal plot driving the production forward. Stevenson’s direction keeps the two actors consistently moving about the space, reflecting their conversation that similarly traverses distances despite them never straying too far from the door.

Hannah Danson’s set design and Simon Jackson’s lighting design are truly standout elements of the play, and it’s easy to forget you’re above a pub in North London thanks to their work. The focal yellow door sits in the middle of nowhere (although, as Mulberry tells us, there is no such place), upon yellow paving through which plants strive to grow, and beneath fluffy white clouds suspended against a sky-coloured backdrop that cycles through different stages of the day. Jackson’s lighting takes us from bright daylight to warm, muted twilight to night-time. We may be in the middle of nowhere, but it’s a very beautiful place to be.

Overall, while there is not much plot to speak of, While They Were Waiting offers insightful and profound moments as well as witty and clever writing from Wilmot. It certainly left me with plenty to think about as I waited for my bus home.

While They Were Waiting runs at Upstairs at the Gatehouse until 22nd March 2026.

Photos by Simon Jackson