EDINBURGH 2026: Review: KRAPP'S LAST TAPE, Assembly

Krapp’s Last Tape is a 1958 one-act play written by Samuel Beckett. This production stars David Westhead and is directed by Stockard Channing.

Krapp is an older man, seated at a table surrounded by rubbish and banana peels. He is sorting through boxes of tapes and he finds one he recorded in his 30s. He listens back to his younger self describing the year he has had, and he reflects upon his life.

Westhead’s performance is gripping and he captures the cheeky and playful nature of Krapp as well as the more emotional side. It’s a short play at just 50 minutes, but you grow quite fond of the character, which is a testament to the performance.

At this particular performance, and on Fridays throughout the run, there is a post-show Q&A, which I thoroughly recommend, as I think it adds quite a lot to the production. David Westhead takes us through his own personal journey with the text and some of the background information about how strict the Beckett estate is about replica productions- down to him having to wear shoes two sizes too big to keep in line with stage directions. 

It’s a text where both the estate and theatre fans might be overly critical of a subpar production, but thankfully this version of Krapp’s Last Tape is enthralling.

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