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Krapp's Last Tape

Krapp's Last Tape

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incipit parodia

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There's a new production of Beckett's Krapp's Last Tape starring Michael Gambon down in London at the moment, and getting excellent reviews. If you can't make that, why not make do with a five-part YouTube of the incredible 2006 production starring Harold Pinter?

http://www.superfluitiesredux.com/2010/09/27/harold-pinter-in-krapps-last-tape/

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Upward Spiral

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Did you check it out? I have some friends who went to see it and were disappointed, although they are not generally hardcore theater types.

Bosse de Nage
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Originally posted by Palynka
Did you check it out? I have some friends who went to see it and were disappointed, although they are not generally hardcore theater types.
In what ways were they disappointed ... ?

Bosse de Nage
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Originally posted by DrKF
There's a new production of Beckett's Krapp's Last Tape starring Michael Gambon down in London at the moment, and getting excellent reviews. If you can't make that, why not make do with a five-part YouTube of the incredible 2006 production starring Harold Pinter?

http://www.superfluitiesredux.com/2010/09/27/harold-pinter-in-krapps-last-tape/
I was lucky enough, or not, to get the 'Beckett Directs Beckett' version (described here: http://www.greylodge.org/gpc/?p=901 ) from ubu.com before it was removed 'at the request of the copyright holder'.

Krapp's Last Tape is harrowing. Spooool ...

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Originally posted by Bosse de Nage
In what ways were they disappointed ... ?
I think they just didn't know what they were getting into and expected something more in the style of Waiting for Godot.

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incipit parodia

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Originally posted by Palynka
Did you check it out? I have some friends who went to see it and were disappointed, although they are not generally hardcore theater types.
I saw the Pinter production live (but doubt I'll be able to see this new one), and absolutely loved it. It's a different beast to Godot, for sure, but it's worth giving it a go...

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Originally posted by DrKF
It's a different beast to Godot, for sure, but it's worth giving it a go...
Definitely, that's why I asked if you had seen it.

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Bat Chain Puller

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I went to see the Gambon version last week and, whilst I am glad I saw it, I don't feel it conveyed either the anger or depth of (perhaps lost) feeling inherent the play. A lot of the internal references weren't apparent and the key motif somehow didn't seem as beautiful and haunting / haunted. Not sure that the Irish accent that Gambon kept dropping in and out of added anything either.

Whilst it's the first stage version I've seen, I have the both the Pinter version and John Hurt's version for Channel 4 film on DVD and I think it paled in comparison to both. Pinter's Krapp is lodged in my memory and will probably remain my definitive version - I tried to get tickets at the time but, short of spending £200 on ebay, I was too late.

Edit - And so little joy in the word 'spooool'!

Bosse de Nage
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Originally posted by Marcusr

Edit - And so little joy in the word 'spooool'!
Perhaps that is what so disappointed Palynka's friends.

In future, before committing to attending a performance of Krapp's Last Tape, always take a spool sample.

(-- And if you find tape-worms ... ?)

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