Krapp’s Last Tape

A few weeks ago I went to see Krapp’s Last Tape at the Duchess Theatre in London with some friends. I use “with” in a weak sense as as ever I was running late and had to get a jog on to arrive something like on time, just arriving as it started and pleading to be let in. I came in, trying not to pant from running, to a very oppressive silence; the entire audience watching Michael Gambon slumped in a chair and just sat at the first free seat I saw. The Silence went on for quite some time and really built up a lot of tension, so much in me that I did not take my coat or jacket off throughout the entire performance. I loved the premise: a (senile?) old man listening to tapes of his younger self that he recorded on his birthday, as there is only one actor he is engaged in dialogue with himself via the tapes he listens to. I wont pretend to have any more insight than the Wikipedia article I’ve already linked to but the other thing that resonated with me was the shifting accent of Krapp, sometimes sounding quite RP, sometimes Irish and sometimes just a lilt. A wonderful production, go see it if you can.