Review: Krapp’s Last Tape/Godot’s To-Do List (Royal Court)

Review by Daz Gale

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

2026 is proving to be a vintage year for Royal Court, not just as it marks their milestone 70th anniversary, but also in the quality of their programming with Olivier-nominated Guess How Much I Love You and the West End-bound John Proctor Is The Villain ranking as my personal favourite plays of the year thus far. There's more than one reason to be excited about their latest play, with mirrors found both in its legendary star and the nature of its presentation as two shorter plays together. With so much expectation and anticipation, could the double-header of Godot's To-Do List and Krapp’s Last Tape join Royal Court's previous plays this year at the top of my own list, or would it all prove to be a bit… krapp?

There is a logic to the presentation of these two offerings together, with a historic parallel that feels befitting of Royal Court's 70th anniversary celebrations. Krapp’s Last Tape premiered at the venue nearly 70 years ago, opening for Samuel Beckett's Endgame. The roles have now been reversed, with Krapp’s Last Tape the main attraction, but paying it forward with another new offering opening the evening. It's not the only connection, of course, with Godot's To-Do List acting as an imagined companion piece to Beckett's seminal classic, Waiting for Godot. Presented back to back with only the slightest of pauses in between, it is a tall order to go toe to toe with one of Beckett's own acclaimed works, even more so given the titan starring in it.

Writer Leo Simpe-Asante came up with the idea for Godot’s To-Do List by wondering what on earth could have held Godot up for so long. This 20 minute play attempts to come up with the answer - Godot seems to be trapped in an inescapable room that may be purgatory, forced to complete each task on his indeterminate lengthy to-do list, whether he wishes to or not. Simpe-Asante’s writing takes this simple premise and maximises its impact to brilliant effect, with its apparently thin premise used to explore far bigger themes of free will and the idea that everything we do is pre-determined. The past and future colliding is a theme that is also explored in the subsequent play, making this a great teaser for what was to come.

Shakeel Haakim takes on the role of Godot, with a great use of comedic timing and a strong sense of characterisation to voice the frustrations within the character. Though he is alone on stage, he is not alone in the play, with Flora Ashton voicing the to-do list off stage to great comedic effect. Aneesha Srinivasan’s direction ensures this short and snappy play always hits its mark, never outstaying its welcome and beautifully complementing Krapp’s Last Tape.

If Godot’s To-Do List was the entrée, Krapp’s Last Tape was certainly the main course. The equivalent of those shorts you sometimes get in the cinema before the latest Disney movie - a great taster before the main event. It centres on Krapp, a man turning 69 who has a tradition of spending his birthday by chronicling the events of the last year. Before recording this year’s offering, he decides to go back 30 years and listen to the tape from his 39th birthday. As past and present collide, we begin to see a fuller picture of the man, who he was, who he wanted to become and who he is today.

There is much to be excited about with this production, not just the full circle moment of it moving from the opening act to the headliner, but also the long-awaited and welcome return to the London stage of Academy Award winner and legendary actor Gary Oldman. There is an interesting mirror to Oldman’s journey to that of Krapp. As Oldman ventured back to York Theatre Royal to see where his stage career began, he realised his future was there as well and brought this production of Krapp’s Last Tape there, prior to its London transfer. The fact that Oldman is of a similar age to Krapp and the parallels that can be made between both men looking back to a time where they were uncertain but optimistic about the future, and the present day that may not have turned out as planned (though it has arguably been far more successful for the revered actor) make for a fascinatingly multi-levelled performance.

Gary Oldman is all over this production - not just acting as the star, but also the director and designer. This allows for a cohesive and slick vision faultlessly executed through Oldman’s own choices. A slightly unconventional piece for its short run time (both plays on the night came in at around 1 hour 15 minutes) and its largely wordless nature, it may not be to everyone’s taste and was hardly met with acclaim when it first premiered at Royal Court at 1958, but with age comes wisdom, and Krapp’s Last Tape is certainly more respected now than it was at the time.

Oldman fills the silence with his strength as an actor, making for intense moments that take quiet and apparently inconsequential elements, such as eating a banana (or more) and amplifying them. Oldman may not speak for a while, but that doesn’t stop the audience from being transfixed on his every move, and every eventual word when they spool out of him. It is the contrast between the voice of Krapp’s pre-recorded 39-year-old self and the current, worn and withered 69-year-old that allows for a great contrast, with Oldman demonstrating his remarkable range as an actor to bring life to his younger, unseen self and pitting him against the older man we see before us. The play showcases how people and personalities change with age. Watching Oldman interacting with a version of himself is utterly fascinating, leading to one of the more unique theatre experiences I have ever witnessed.

I came out of Krapp’s Last Tape not entirely sure how much I enjoyed what I had watched, but this is the kind of show that gets better the more you think about it. The intelligence and heaviness of the themes it carries impressed me more as I picked up on more and more elements that had been peppered throughout. It may not have answered every question, but it certainly made its mark. If the story may not be my favourite Samuel Beckett I have seen, Gary Oldman’s performance and direction more than take this to the next level in a feat that was astonishing to witness.

I was unsure of the significance of both of these short plays together, but watching them back-to-back, it made complete sense. It isn’t just the Samuel Beckett connection, or the notion of paying it forward to replicate how Krapp’s Last Tape started out nearly 70 years ago. Both that and Godot’s To-Do List share themes and an identity. Though they are two very distinct voices, their questions of life, the past and the future more than complement each other, making for an evening where both separate plays lift the other to make a rich and rewarding watch. A fantastic evening that cements Royal Court’s 70th year as one of its strongest ever, and certainly a double feature worth waiting for.

Krapp’s Last Tape and Godot’s To-Do List play at Royal Court until 30th May. All performances are currently sold out, but keep an eye on https://royalcourttheatre.com/events/krapps-last-tape-godots-to-do-list for future opportunities to purchase tickets, including their legendary £15 Mondays.

Photos by Jack English (Krapp''s Last Tape) and Camilla Greenwell (Godot's To-Do List)