Landmark Productions

Krapp’s Last Tape by Samuel Beckett

Directed by Vicky Featherstone
Starring Stephen Rea

Stephen Rea’s "triumph" (★★★★★ The Irish Times) of a performance captivated audiences and wowed critics during its two sell-out runs in Dublin in 2024, and at the prestigious Adelaide Festival in Australia. The production will also have a London run at the Barbican in 2025, supported by Culture Ireland.

In Samuel Beckett’s one-act play we meet Krapp, a man in his late sixties. Every year, on his birthday, Krapp records a new tape – a review of the year just gone. But on this occasion – his 69th birthday – he listens back to a tape he recorded years before. This will be his last tape.

Twelve years ago, Stephen Rea recorded the earlier tapes. He said,

"I had no certainty that one day I might play Krapp, but I thought it a good idea to pre-record the early tapes so that the voice quality would differ significantly from that of the older character, should the opportunity ever arise to use it."

These are the tapes that are used in the current production.