Krapp's Last Tape (Beckett)

Not many people get the chance (or dare take the chance) of seeing two productions of the same Beckett play on the same weekend. We did. After seeing John Hurt's performance on Friday, we saw Brian Dennehy's performance in a Sunday matinee. In light of the tight control the Beckett estate exerts over productions of his plays, I was surprised by the substantial differences between the two productions. (Note: I saw the Royal Shakespeare Company's production in 1998 at BAM; I remember little about it beyond the interminable silences and the way it looked. I do not remember being able to understand the tape recordings very well.) There was no comedy in Dennehy's performance. Here, Krapp is clearly a pitiful alcoholic whose pratfalls would be comical if not so pathetic. There was nothing tedious and unclear about the performance. And as he had done for all the previous performances at Long Wharf, he returned to the theatre for an extensive talk-back (really a mini-lecture explicating the play followed by an opportunity for the audience to ask questions): worth the price of the ticket alone.

Recommend highly.