Sheer brilliance: I've seen a few reviews here that say "read it, but don't go see it." Most of the time, I would probably agree, because most people who do the play don't get it; they think it's a straightforward comedy, and it is almost anything but.

R&G is all about pace; except for a couple of spots, if the pace isn't almost franticly precise, the end loses its entire effect. The beginning of the second act

"Hmmm?"
"Yes?"
"What?"
"I thought you..."
"No."
"Ahh."

takes a lot of work to get right; someone missing a beat is almost as bad as someone walking through the invisible fourth wall.

Guildenstern has the first real line in the play: "There's an art to the building up of suspense." If you aren't on the edge of your seat when the penultimate scene begins, then the director and the actors have missed the boat.

Unfortunately, nothing Mr Stoppard has done since is quite as good. His plays are good, especially if you like the Pinteresque types, but just not quite as good.