written by Samuel Beckett
directed by Vicky Featherstone
starring Stephen ReaLandmark Productions
★★★★★ The Irish Times ★★★★ The Guardian ★★★★ Financial Times ★★★★ Irish Examiner ★★★★ Daily Mail ★★★★ Irish Mail on Sunday ★★★★ The Arts Review
Following two sold-out runs in Ireland, Landmark makes its Australian debut as part of the Adelaide Festival with Stephen Rea in Samuel Beckett’s solo masterpiece, Krapp’s Last Tape.
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.
★★★★★ ‘a triumph’ – The Irish Times
★★★★ ‘Stephen Rea is hauntingly good in Beckett’s masterpiece’ – The Guardian
In 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.
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.
Krapp’s Last Tape was the first production in Landmark’s 20th anniversary year. It played a sell-out run at Project Arts Centre in Jan/Feb 2024.