Krapp's Last Tape - Skirball

Beckett’s end-of-life treatise is well realized here with Stephen Rhea’s performance.  Rhea (Krapp) demonstrates skill with comedic timing, reflective moments and silent performance.  Jamie Vartan’s ‘interrogation room’ set supports Beckett’s theme of barrenness at end of life and hints at a search for truth.  The grey of Vartan’s set against Katie Davenport’s black and white costume for Krapp reinforces the emotional ambivalence of that search.  Paul Keogan’s sharp-edged rectangle of light on the center playing area supported the feeling of enclosure and entrapment, while wonderfully contrasting with the light spilling out from the center back door. I thoroughly enjoyed this piece as Beckett pushes us to think and reflect about mortality and the human struggle with it. #krapp #nyuSkirball

Krapps Last Tape

NYU Skirball

566 LaGuardia Place New York, NY

Running time: 55 minutes

10/08/25 - 10/19/25

(New York performance review)