Krapp's Last Tape

By Samuel Beckett

Directed by Stockard Channing
with David Westhead as "Krapp"

Krapp's Last Tape is a journey through an old man's life, filled with hilarious memories and hopes for the future, coupled with the mourning of lost love and unfulfilled ambition. Revel in Samuel Beckett's classic play, as audiences are invited into Krapp's world of solitude, reflection, dreams, elation, and despair.

Brought to life in disused function rooms, underground vaults, former jails, and dusty factories, we are transported to a land of joy, sadness, lost ambition, love, madness, and hope.

This production, directed by Academy Award nominee Stockard Channing and starring David Westhead, tours theatres and site-specific venues globally throughout 2026 and 2027.

Trailer

Director and Lead Actor

Stockard Channing

Tony, Emmy and Golden Globe-winning, Stockard Channing brings her unique directorial vision to this production, exploring the intricate layers of Beckett's masterpiece and Krapp's solitary world.

An interview with Stockard about the play

David Westhead

A veteran of The Royal National Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company, multi-award-winning actor David Westhead embodies the complexities of Krapp, delivering a performance that is by turns powerful, funny and deeply moving.

Press highlights of Krapp's Last Tape at Edinburgh Festival 2026

Recipient of the 2026 Gold Festival Fringe Award

★★★★★
"The staging is superb and Westhead's performance is mesmerising, holding the audience's attention throughout.”
One4Review

★★★★★
"Stockard Channing turns Krapp to gold."
Festival Review

★★★★★
"Channing's directing powers are spot on.We forget we are at the theatre and believe we are witnessing a real person."
"In giving us this version... Channing and Westhead have created a legacy for themselves. Westhead has an uncanny ability to make it feel as though he is entirely alone."
The Reviews Hub

★★★★★
“A profound performance... Westhead’s interpretation is dark, funny and unmissable."
"Absurd, cathartic, abstract, commonplace, emotional and enigmatic."
“Witness this gem revitalised... utterly in tune with Beckett's voice."
LouReviews

"The delicacy of the acting shines through."
Edinburgh Fringe Preview

★★★★★
Westhead as Krapp, caught in the spotlight before even speaking a word, commands the stage. His performance is faultless. He finds both pathos and comedy in the smallest physical details. The text may be spare, but Westhead makes every look and gesture count.”
Theatre and Arts Reviews

★★★★★
Possibly the best interpretation of the play l've ever seen, and I saw Gary Oldman do it earlier this year! Stockard Channing’s intimate production of Krapp’s Last Tape, starring David Westhead, is a phenomenal and intensely claustrophobic interpretation of Samuel Beckett's work. Deliberately staged for audiences of 150 at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the production benefits from Channing's sharp direction and Westhead's emotionally devastating performance."
Paul T. Davies writes for BritishTheatre.com
Broadway Baby and Fringe Review

★★★★
"An admirable Beckett revival, bolstered by David Westhead's commanding performance. A beautiful portrayal of a man dissected across time, media and life's potential."
Fest Mag

★★★★
“The emotional heart of the play hits deep and gives Beckett unexpected warmth in an intimate, subtly subversive Krapp's Last Tape."
The Daily Telegraph

★★★★
Stockard Channing’s unique directorial vision coupled with David Westhead’s intense and compelling performance makes this production unmissable."
"Delivered by Westhead with a sense of crumpled gravitas. A lovely excavation of how the past defines us.”
"A tragicomic fusion of sound and vision."
The Herald

"Stockard Channing’s directorial debut is a classy turn, and the weight of Beckett’s words follows you out from the dark into the light."
"In David Westhead’s portrayal of Krapp he finds the wrinkled humanity in this man he makes demonstrably flesh and blood."
Lyn Barber, The Stage

“The power of Beckett’s writing wins the day, thanks to a production clearly rooted in delivering an interpretation conceptually grounded and consistent. The near-packed audience were treated to, and responded favourably to, another rendition of one of the greatest plays of the twentieth century. Thank you to all the production team, for making it happen. I highly recommend that you go! ”
Kevin Short, International Times

BBC TV & Radio Coverage, ITV highlights and extended press reviews:

Stockard on ITVs "Lorraine"

David and Stockard on BBC Radio 4 Front Row with Kirsty Wark
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002zrrp?partner=uk.co.bbc&origin=share-mobile

David and Stockard on BBC Scotland News
https://we.tl/b-62oUQrT66XCLqO8p

Audience Reviews

“Just terrific … such a wonderful piece of work. Brilliant, outrageous, and a tribute to the vaudeville that exists in Beckett … heartbreaking.” John McAndrew, Royal Shakespeare Company

“A magical evening in a wonderfully evocative setting
full of ghosts …” Duncan Duff, Royal National Theatre

“A fantastic night. Unforgettable actually.” Kelly Hunter MBE, Flute Theatre Company

“Fantastic performance from David Westhead - Ms Channing clearly kicked him into shape. My daughter said it was the best thing she had ever seen!” Ed Stobart, Director, Alleycats Film and TV

“Absolutely amazing performance.” David Magliano, MBE, Director of Strategy, London Olympic Games

“A really wonderful evening … absolutely the most perfect setting and production and, of course, performance.” Adrian Dannatt, actor, author, editor, artist

“Just the same old Krapp, but somehow better than ever …” Andrew Darnton, independent researcher in behavioural theory and systems change.

“What a stirring and remarkable performance by David Westhead in the perfect setting!” Lucy Lubbock, Art Historian

“Just so special - a fabulous performance …” Claudia Selby, TV producer and director

“Monday night was a revelation for me. To be in that small space and witness how, from nothing and nowhere, David Westhead transformed into the eponymous “Krapp” was mesmerising. Without getting too purple, I found Westhead’s performance quite magical … producing from within, an entirely formed and believable elderly man, auditing his life and times and raging at his end of days. Hopefully, with regards to Stockard Channing’s beautiful, edgy production, it will not encounter the dying of the light for many years to come.” Geoffrey Seed, BBC Panorama and novelist

“Outstanding performance by one of UK's leading character actors. It was a privilege to see it such a small, intimate environment - it was an unforgettable night.” Bridget Whelan, University Lecturer

“Lovely visit to Midlands Art Centre to see David Westhead in Krapp's Last Tape, directed by the very lovely Stockard Channing. Great to see a full house for this Beckett play. My first bit of Beckett.” Jax Sheppard, Fine Art Curator

A selection of notices gathered from The Reviews Hub / Inside London / Reuters:

“A magnetic production. Channing’s directing powers are spot on.”

“Westhead’s performance is mesmerising”

“We forget we are at the theatre and believe we are witnessing a real person, perhaps a hoarder, surrounded by the detritus of their life as they reenact the past through the ghostly voice of a younger self”

“This is something special, a memorable artistic collaboration and cultural happening”

“If it arrives near you, you’d be crazy to miss it”

“5 Stars. Excellent. Stockard Channing turns Krapp to gold”

“Excellent. Despite the scale of the auditorium, Westhead has an uncanny ability to make it feel as though he is entirely alone - a real testament to his skill as an actor”

“In giving us this version of Krapp’s Last Tape, Channing and Westhead have created a legacy for themselves, a relatable, credible character brought to life in front of our eyes. I don’t think he will mind too much if I assert that David Westhead is truly Krapp.”

KLT Plays International & Europe Review by Simon Thomas

“It’s difficult to see the joins between Channing’s direction and Westhead’s acting. Together they come up with a very fine take on the part, which is more subtly attuned to Beckett’s elliptical text than most showier interpretations.”

“Westhead opts for a restrained and quietly internalised approach that really brings out the beauty and subtlety of Beckett’s lines. Moments of great significance pass as throwaway reflections, while giving a lingering sense of their meaning.”

“What comes across in Westhead’s performance is the utter loneliness of a solitary man who can barely grasp the distanced relationship with his younger self - a self he can hardly even bear to acknowledge.”

“The pacing of Channing’s production is perfect, allowing Beckett’s spellbinding allusions to drop deftly into the audience’s consciousness. The way Westhead places the imagery leaves a burning and lasting impression.”

Technical Specifications

Running Time: 50 minutes (or 1 hour 20 mins with Q&A)

Auditorium: Any space capable of accommodating 50+ audience members

Stage area (bare floor) minimum dimensions: 2.5m x 2.5m

Same day get in (90 mins max) and get out (1 hour max)

Q&As

David and Stockard are more than happy to run 30-minute post-show Q&As. These usually begin with a talk about how the production came about and then open up to discussion with the audience. They can either be run independently or using a presenter from the venue to chair proceedings.

Workshops

Acting masterclasses for up to 20 people can be run either pre- or post- show. They normally last for 90 minutes. No previous acting experience necessary.

Thanks to

Anthony Roberts and all at Colchester Arts Centre, Everyone at Assembly Festival, Deborah Goodman at DGPR, Roc Sandford and The Paddington Club, John Phillips, Jem Wall, Chris Cope, Geoff Kirzynowski, Pete Spokes, Billy Westhead, Dana Trewin, John Cole, Claudia Selby, Henry Morris, Elena Carmen, Tom Harrison, Jake McMurchie, Emma Wallis, Susan Morton, Becky Shaw, Michael Vale, Martin McCabe, Mick Southworth , Fraser Barber, Paula Cabral, Phil Blume, Tom Dalton and Brown Bear Studios, Leica, Anne Clarke at Landmark Productions, Jenn Morgan and Katie Garvin at Curtis Brown, and The Beckett Estate.

Photographs © Alfred Westhead unless stated.

Producer

Alfred Westhead for Wilton Pictures:
westy63@hotmail.co.uk

Executive Producers

Anthony Roberts: anthony@colchesterartscentre.com
John Phillips: john.captivelight@gmail.com
Jem Wall: jem.wall@hydrocracker.co.uk

This production of "Krapp's Last Tape" tours worldwide throughout 2026 and 2027, aimed at diverse audiences and cultures, both in bustling urban centres as well as remote, often forgotten communities.

Tour Schedule

2024 Apr 4

Colchester Arts Centre

2024 Jun 11

London Paddington Club

2024 Sep 23

Birmingham MAC, Midlands Arts Centre

2025 Feb 3

Whitehawk, Walter May House

2025 Mar 11

East Sussex College

2025 Apr 7–13

Brighton Regency Town House

2025 Jul 4–5

The Exchange Theatre, Twickenham

2025 Jul 8

Royal Variety Club, Brinsworth House

2025 Jul 11–12

8 Marvila Arts Community, Lisbon

2025 Oct 3–5

Electric Lodge (Part 1), Los Angeles

2025 Oct 10–12

Electric Lodge (Part 2), Los Angeles

2025 Oct 18

The Exchange Theatre, Twickenham

2025 Oct 31

Gulbenkian Theatre, Canterbury

2025 Nov 1

Gulbenkian Theatre, Canterbury

2025 Nov 13

Hastings Kino-Teatr

2026 Jan 29

The Met, Bury

2026 Jan 30–31

East Riding Theatre, Beverley

2026 Feb 5

Stanley Arts, South Norwood

2026 Feb 6–7

Mill Studio, Yvonne Arnaud, Guildford

2026 Feb 18

Aberystwyth

2026 Mar 7

Quay Arts, Isle of Wight

2026 Mar 27–28

Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich

2026 Apr 4

Calder Theatre

2026 Apr 16

Dorchester Arts Centre

2026 Apr 27–28

Tobacco Factory, Bristol

2026 May 7

Sherling Studio, Poole Lighthouse

2026 Jul 22

Ropetackle, Shoreham

2026 Jul 24

Calder Theatre (2 shows, 7pm & 8.15pm)

2026 Jul 25

Latitude Festival

2026 Jul 26

Thorington Theatre

2026 Aug 5–31

Edinburgh Festival, Assembly Festival – Upstairs at the Roxy

2026 Sep 3

McRoberts Arts Centre, Stirling

2026 Sep 9

Epstein Theatre, Liverpool

2026 Sep 11

Two Sisters, Felixstowe

2026 Sep 17

Chelmsford Theatre

2026 Sep 18

Junction, Goole

2026 Sep 25

Farnham Maltings

2026 Sep 30

The Spring Arts Centre, Havant

2026 Oct 1

Cornerstone, Didcot

2026 Oct 2

The Edge Arts Centre, Much Wenlock

2026 Oct 3

Theatrebarn, Bretforton

2026 Oct 10

Stroud Festival

2026 Oct 16

Norden Farm, Maidenhead

2026 Nov 4

Old Town Hall, Hemel Hempstead

2026 Nov 5

Artsdepot, London

2026 Nov 7

Tower Theatre, Folkestone

2026 Nov 14

Eden Court, Inverness

2026 Nov 17

Beacon Arts, Greenock

2026 Dec 8

Cranleigh Arts

“Krapp's Last Tape”

An unforgettable exploration of the human soul.