Krapp's Last Tape is a one - act play , written in
English , by Samuel Beckett .
The play , which premiered on 28 October 1958 at
the Royal Court Theatre , London , was directed by
Donald McWhinnie and starred Patrick Magee .
Krapp , an old man , sits alone in his room late at
night . It is his 70th birthday . He prepares to make
a recording of his thoughts about the past year .
as he has done every year on his birthday since he
was young .
The events recorded on each tape are meticulously
noted in a huge ledger , allowing him easy access
to the memories of his past .
In preparing to make a new tape , he listens to a
recording he made some thirty years earlier .
He hears the voice of the confident , hopeful man
in his prime , and hardly recognizes it as himself .
Hearing his old ambitions and dreams , he laughs
ironically . There is one passage he returns to over
and over , in which the younger Krapp speaks calmly
and philosophically of the ending of a relationship
with a woman , who might be called Effi .
At the time , he saw the break as inevitable and
looked forward to many more conquests and
triumphs .
Now , looking back , he has come to realize that
she was the last great love of his life , and in losing
her , he lost , so many years ago , his chance of
happiness .
direction , set design and lighting
concept > Robert Wilson
costumes design and collaborator to set design > Yashi
lighting design > A.J. Weissbard
sound design > Peter Cerone and Jesse Ash
associate director > Sue Jane Stoker
assistant director > Charles Chemin
make up artist > Manu Halligan
technical director > Reinhard Bichsel
light supervisor > Aliberto Sagretti
sound engineer > Guillaume Dulac
stage manager > Thaiz Bozano
chief stagehand > Corinna Gassauer
Robert Wilson's personal assistant > Max Koltai
tour manager > Elisabetta di Mambro
project by
Change Performing Arts
commissioned by
Grand Théâtre de Luxembourg
Spoleto52 Festival dei 2 Mondi
produced by
CRT Milano Fondazione