Liz’s Score 5 / 5 stars
I have to admit up front that I am a devotee of Beckett and always hope that a production will do justice to his quirky mastery. The Red Line Production of Krapp’s Last Tape did just that; it was a perfect combination of venue, set and performance.
The mini downstairs theatre of the Old Fitzroy Hotel immediately drew us as audience into Krapp’s shrunken world. Old filing cabinets with hints of worn colour and masking tape were cleverly stacked behind the desk as backdrop and prop to the performance.
Krapp regularly climbed a ladder as in a fine library to unearth from these filing cabinets his booze and bananas amongst the useless detritus of his life; balled up paper and unspooled tapes, symbolic of a failed writer. The set designed by Brian Thomson AM and the lighting by Veronique Benett complimented each other and the performance perfectly.
Critical to the production was the tape recording of Krapp’s thirty nine year old self and the pauses in between. Ben Pierpoint handled the soundscape from the flushing offstage toilet to the ticking clock and Krapp’s recording from the past seamlessly and to great effect.
Jonathan Biggins playing a 69-year-old Krapp held us in his thrall throughout the 50 minutes. His was an understated and subtle performance. He never upstaged his younger self, thus allowing the audience to be fully engaged by his voice from the past and be moved by the brief moments of sensuality and sorrow. The light and shade of his performance on tape and in person was for me near perfect. I lost a few words towards the play’s end where his raised voice became somewhat indistinct but this was a minor complaint.
Beckett’s plays when handled well are unique ‘works of art’ and Gale Edwards’ direction and Jonathan Biggins’ performance did not disappoint. A five star production.
Liz O’Toole, Theatre Now
Photography Credit: John Marmaras
26 Nov – 14 Dec 2019
Venue: Old Fitz Theatre
Theatre Company: Red Line Productions
Duration: Approx. 50 Min
Standard $58
Concession $65
Tue – Sat 7:30pm
Sun 5pm
Matinees Wednesday 11AM and Saturday 2PM
By Samuel Beckett
In a special 2019 season closer, internationally acclaimed director Gale Edwards directs the extraordinary Jonathan Biggins in Beckett’s glorious dance between performer and tape recorder.
Krapp is 70 and preparing to his last annual recount of a life brimming with fading hopes and stark disappointments. An unflinching portrait of a man nearing the end, Beckett collides the tragic and the comic in a powerful exploration of time, fate, memory and and the ones that got away.
Director: Gale Edwards
With: Jonathan Biggins
