KRAPP'S LAST TAPE - SEVEN TYRANTS THEATRE SOCIETY

Solo shows with a minimalist set are my favourite type of theatre. It's what I grew up on and in some way it feels more pure to me. I also grew up loving Nietzsche, Herman Hesse, Goethe and other such romantically lonely tortured genius old men so the character of Krapp, from the outset, felt familiar to me. An old friend who needs no introduction or explanation.

Director David Thumas Newham and actor Linden Banks have created a piece that is simultaneously physically comedic and soul-wrenching. Watching Krapp, alone in his dingy room with tape recorder, banana and booze as he relates to his former self, seeing his regrets, his frustration and his reactions to his youthful hopes made me wonder what I'll think about the choices I'm making now many years down the line. It's a quiet piece, intimate and self contained. Nothing is explained, as few dramatic devices are used as possible. This is just a moment. A brief, deep look into the layers of a man's self through time.

I realize this wasn't at all the intention, but the experience has inspired me to record my own tapes. The intimacy of a lone voice recounting a fresh memory appeals to me. Reaching out to oneself through time. Hopefully my experience will be less lonely than Krapp's.

I mention another New Year's favourite of mine in the video review, Dinner for One. You can see that short film here: https://youtu.be/BN9edpdCH7c If you watch Krapp's Last Tape, you might find the tiger rug and the tape recorder wire serve a similar function. Although the content of this film is significantly lighter than the content of the play.
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Krapps' Last Tape produced by Seven Tyrants's Theatre is playing at Tyrant Studios until 26 October 2018.
Tickets at: http://www.seventyrants.com/krapps-last-tape/

~ reviewed by Danielle Benzon and Chantal M. Marie