I'd heard a bit about this production, and knew Beckett's Waiting For Godot already. I knew it would be slow. I knew it would be partly philosophical. I didn't realise it would be as good as it was.
Starkly simple, brutally comically and wonderfully intriguing.
Gambon's subtle acting was excellent. All attention was on him, and even in long moments of silence, the subtlety made his thought processes totally understandable.
Yes it was short, but it had to be, otherwise it could have been too drawn out.
I am a fan of Beckett, so had high expectations. These were met. It tackles philosophical thought about age, the mind and humanity. We can really appreciate the character.
I will say that Gambon's face being so recognisable did detract from my belief of this character. You see Gambon, not Krapp. Also, the make-up designed to make him look older was not all that impressive.
However, these things are not important to the nature of the play Beckett did not write it to be total naturalism. It has an air of absurdity, exaggerating the philosophy behind it.
All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed 'Krapp's Last Tape'. 50 minutes of intense acting of the highest degree from a wonderful playwright.
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