In an odd coincidence, this production of Samuel Beckett”s visionary drama of old age has its brief run at the Barbican at exactly the same time as Gary Oldman returns to the stage in a much higher profile production in York. Still, London is hardly getting sloppy seconds, as former Royal Court boss Vicky Featherstone is reunited with the great Irish actor Stephen Rea for a production that scored great reviews in Ireland and Australia last year.
The 55-minute play concerns the elderly Krapp, who records a tape every year on his birthday, spending the day listening to the old ones. As the shows wears on the old man is increasingly horrified by the arrogance and blind self-belief of his youth. Apparently Rea had the thought some 13 years ago that he might end up performing Krapp one day, and so recorded himself doing some of the ‘younger’ lines on spec whikle his voice had a different timbre – they’re now featured in this show.