Matching Gary Oldman's Krapp with a teenager's take on Godot is a masterstoke

"Oldman has brought the production directed and designed by himself to London's Royal Court, where Krapp had its premiere in 1958, starring Patrick Magee. The Court is also where Oldman cut is teeth in the 80s. I find it difficult to fully grasp, but four decades have passed, he writes in the programme. The sentiment is fitting: Krapp's Last Tape is indeed an old man's play."

"Beckett was 52 when it was first staged and Krapp is 69. He heaves great sighs as he shuffles around his den, reeling in the years through diary recordings made 30 years earlier, in which he reflects on his behaviour further back, in his late 20s. But for this Royal Court run, Krapp is accompanied by a teenage voice."

"The evening begins with a short new work by 19-year-old Leo Simpe-Asante, a winner of the theatre's inaugural Young Playwrights award. It's an audacious and generous bit of programming that signals huge confidence in the newcomer, should serve to inspire other first-time playwrights and retains the theatre's mission to produce new writing while reviving a classic."

"Simpe-Asante spoofs an earlier Beckett with his play, wittily entitled Godot's To-Do List, performed against the detritus of Krapp's den. Waiting for Godot's backdrop is a country road and a tree; Simpe-Asante's script specifies a stool and a potted plant, which here resembles a child's fiendish buzz wire game. The play, punctuated by similar metallic pings, introduces us at long last! to Godot, a young man trying to make the best of things."

Gary Oldman brings his production of Samuel Beckett’s Krapp’s Last Tape back to London’s Royal Court, where the play premiered in 1958. The production also echoes Oldman’s earlier connection to the theatre from the 1980s. Krapp, an aging man, shuffles through his den and listens to diary recordings made decades earlier, reflecting on his younger self. For this run, Krapp is accompanied by a teenage voice, adding a new layer to the experience. The evening opens with a short new work by 19-year-old Leo Simpe-Asante, Godot’s To-Do List, which spoofs an earlier Beckett style and is staged against the remnants of Krapp’s setting. The programming supports new writing while reviving a classic.

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