Krapp’s Last Tape

Beckett’s (very) short play revolves around an old man who each year on his birthday records the events of the past year, and his feelings about his life, on tapes, which he carefully archives. This year, aged 69, he sits in his chair listening to a tape from 30 years previously before recording a new one. Aidan Stevenson perfectly encapsulated the curmudgeonly old man, with his grey stubble and his paunch hanging out below his waistcoat, harrumphing contemptuously at his younger self or staring into space contemplatively. He also milked the full comedy of the banana-eating scene. The set was well done too with a battered leather chair and an old fashioned reel to reel tape recorder. Short, but very effective.

The Lectern, 19 May 2013

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