Stephen Rea Will Bring KRAPP'S LAST TAPE to New York
Performances run October 8-19.
By: Stephi Wild Jun. 26, 2025
Legendary Irish actor Stephen Rea takes on Samuel Beckett’s Krapp’s Last Tape in a revelatory new production directed by Vicky Featherstone. Direct from its acclaimed run at London’s Barbican, this gripping solo performance explores memory, regret, and the passage of time with Beckett’s signature wit and stark poetry. Performances run October 8-19.
Rea, known for his mesmerizing stage and screen presence, delivers a tour-de-force portrayal of a man confronting his past through old recordings of himself. Produced by one of Ireland’s leading theatre companies, Landmark Productions, and under Featherstone’s masterful direction, the production strips Krapp’s Last Tape to its essence, heightening its emotional power and dark humor. Don’t miss this rare opportunity to witness one of the greatest living actors in an unforgettable Beckett classic.
Stephen Rea is one of the foremost actors of his generation, coming to worldwide attention when he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for Neil Jordan’s film The Crying Game in 1992. He has enjoyed great acclaim on Irish and international stages through his collaborations with playwrights Sam Shepard, Brian Friel and Enda Walsh.
Following his debut at The Abbey Theatre in Dublin, he moved to London. His early experimental work with veterans of LaMama and Nancy Meckler’s Freehold Theatre Company was followed by many leading roles at The National Theatre, including The Playboy of the Western World and The Shaughraun.
His theatre career spans several decades, with many memorable highlights. These include establishing the ground-breaking Field Day Theatre Company with Brian Friel in the 1980s, with whom he appeared in many plays, including Tom Kilroy’s Double Cross; his friendship and collaboration with Sam Shepard, which saw him star in Sam’s directorial debut of his play Geography of a Horse Dreamer in 1974 and continued when Stephen appeared in Kicking a Dead Horse and Ages of the Moon, both at The Abbey Theatre and in New York; his acclaimed performance in Enda Walsh’s Ballyturk for Landmark Productions and Galway International Arts Festival; and, most recently, international critical acclaim on both sides of the Atlantic for his powerful and deeply disturbing performance in Cyprus Avenue, an Abbey Theatre and Royal Court Theatre co-production, which enjoyed a lengthy run in New York in 2018.
His career on stages across Dublin, London and New York has taken place in tandem with his award-winning film and TV career. In addition to his Academy Award-nominated performance as Fergus in The Crying Game, highlights of his many film credits include Breakfast on Pluto, Michael Collins, V for Vendetta, The End of the Affair and Black ’47, amongst many others. On TV, Stephen won critical acclaim for his remarkable performance in The Honourable Woman, which also earned him a BAFTA award, and he has most recently appeared in The Stranger, War and Peace, Flesh and Blood, the Emmy-nominated Counterpart, and The English for BBC/Amazon.
