Krapp’s Last Tape/Godot’s To-Do List

Krapp’s Last Tape/Godot’s To-Do List description

An experience to remember involving two brilliant plays is yours for 2026, part of The Royal Court Theatre's 70th anniversary season. Samuel Beckett's Krapps Last Tape appears at the venue for the first time since 1958, when it debuted, in a brand new production by York Theatre Royal. The star of the show is Gary Oldman. Kicking off the fun is an awesome new curtain-raising play, Godots To-Do List, a Beckett-inspired comedy from the pen of Jerwood New Playwright Leo Simpe-Asante, winner of the 2025 inaugural Royal Court Young Playwrights Award and directed by Aneesha Srinivasan.

The plot of Beckett's play concerns Krapp, who, alone on his 69th birthday, reflects on the past as he listens to a tape he made decades earlier as a young man. A one-act play exploring themes of memory, identity, and the passage of time, Krapp is beset with nostalgia, saddened by the loss of his identity, and all too aware of the harsh realities of life as an old man. Loved for its minimalist style, the play has been produced around the world numerous times, including a version by Harold Pinter himself. The show's star Gary Oldman also directs, with Costumes by Guy Speranza, Lighting from Malcolm Rippeth and Sound by Tom Smith.

Playing at Royal Court Theatre (venue info)