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Krapp's Last Tape

 
Susanne Crosby Review by Susanne Crosby 4 Published: 13 May 2026 The Rotunda Theatre: Bubble Show Dates: 5 May 2026-12 May 2026

It’s striking how completely a full character can be conjured in almost complete silence. Ross Ericson holds the stage effortlessly with a combination of stillness and a glimpse into his inner thoughts through subtle physical shifts. Never has a man eating bananas been so gripping. It’s almost unnerving, yet he draws us into his world with no invitation or coaxing: by simply being.

A masterclass in subtle, natural, yet powerful acting

Samuel Beckett’s one-man play, alongside his other work, can be taken on so many levels. A man confronting his own past and reflecting on his life is the uppermost, yet like his other work, this stays with you long after it’s finished. Like great art, this reflects back to us all, challenging us not only to see the man at the desk but to see our own lives through this prism. He listens to the tape of his 39-year-old self reflecting on the year with so many different reactions: much of what the tape tells him has been lost to him, including a word which causes him to pause the tape to look up in the dictionary. Thirty-nine is a significant year for him, being the year he lost his mother.

The tape is eloquent and also hints at depression, which looks like it has gripped the man we see before us. Yet it’s hopeful of the future, believing he is at his writing peak and that things will continue to get better and better from here. The pivotal point is the discovery on the tape of a romantic encounter, which changes the man before us, as he had not remembered this; and now repeatedly relives it. We are left reflecting on his choices and perhaps our own in the derisory tape he tries to make for this year, which he gives up on.

He wears his emotions, rather than speaking them, yet in that subtle and restrained way in which he meets the world. This play offers us a mirror to ourselves, at whatever point we are in our lives when we meet it: whether we are the hopeful young one with aspirations and plans, or the older one reflecting on our choices. It subtly asks us about regrets: the choices we made when younger which have led to where we are, and recognises how harshly we sometimes judge ourselves. Aside from the strength of the play itself, Ericson gives a masterclass in subtle, natural, yet powerful acting.

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The Blurb:

Every year, on his birthday, Krapp records a tape. This year it is his 69th birthday and he is recording his last tape. As he does he finds himself listening back to one he recorded when he was a much younger man. This one act play is one of Samuel Beckett's greatest works. A witty and compelling reflection of the life of a man and the hopes that he once had. From the team behind Edfringe Sell-Out "The Unknown Soldier" Grist to the Mill. Performed by Award-winning actor and writer Ross Ericson.