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
Due to phenomenal demand, Stephen Rea returns in Samuel Beckett’s solo masterpiece, Krapp’s Last Tape, for one week only at the Gaiety Theatre this October.
Stephen Rea’s critically acclaimed performance captivated audiences and wowed critics during its sell-out run in Dublin earlier this year. If you missed the ‘triumph’ of Stephen Rea’s performance the first time around, this is your only chance to see it in Ireland this year!
★★★★★ ‘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.