New Playwright Leo Simpe-Asante, winner of the 2025 inaugural Royal Court Young Playwrights Award, opens each performance of Krapp’s Last Tape with his new play inspired by Samuel Beckett called Godot’s To-Do List.

Shakeel Haakim offers an engaging and at times funny insight into where Godot got to. The voice inside the space orders him to complete some tasks before he can meet his friends. The whole time, he is avoiding not to “Have an existential crisis”. A great appetiser before Gary Oldman delivers Krapp’s Last Tape.

Oldman has been preparing to play this role for many years as he first recorded the tapes used in the production when he was 39 years old. The younger Oldman talked to the older one about his thoughts at that time in his life.

As Krapp sits alone in his cluttered attic space with a single light above the desk, he embarks on a moment of reflection from who he once was to who he has now become. His memories recorded on old tapes and a tape recorder that baffled me on how to use it. Similar to my younger daughters looking at my record player!

Each tape has been numbered and boxed up in old biscuit tins. Then, logged in a journal with a brief description of the memory he might wish to revisit in the future. The attention to detail is impressive, especially when you compare to the hoarded clutter around him

The line that resonates with me is the strongest was ‘Perhaps my best years are gone. When there was a chance of happiness. But I wouldn’t want them back. Not with the fire in me now.’ As we get older, there are times of deep reflection and where better to reminisce than surrounded by your lifetimes collection of memories (clutter or belongings).

Understanding the work and dedication Oldman has put into this play for many years. You know you are watching a play that has been crafted and tweaked continuously. Each pause and silence timed perfectly to reflect Krapp’s mood during those moments.

It’s not necessarily a play you will enjoy. it’s a play you experience and feel. One that is definitely worth catching should the opportunity arise.

Four Stars.

Written by Samuel Beckett.

Directed by Gary Oldman.