Krapp's Last Tape
Sun, 21 Oct 2001, 11:26 pmHammo5 posts in thread
Krapp's Last Tape
Sun, 21 Oct 2001, 11:26 pmPlay:
KRAPP'S LAST TAPE
One Man show
Venue:
HAYMAN THEATRE UPSTAIRS, CURTIN, PERTH.
Simon Keen, in his graduating thesis production of Samuel Beckett's enormous 'Krapp's Last Tape', took on a beast and won, tonight at Curtin's Hayman Theatre.
'Krapp's Last Tape' was written in by the wonderful Irish playwright in the fifties, and depicts a lonely evening 'in the future' as Krapp, a man of 69, reflects on his life by listening to old reel-to-reel tapes of himself, recorded thirty years in the past. The story is that of desperation, senility, and a savage introspection, while the ravages of time are laid bare before the audience, who watch the grizzled, grouchy, eccentric Old Krapp while simultaneously hearing the articulate, poetic, and ambitious Young Krapp on tape, pondering his thirtieth birthday.
As with any One Man Show, the focus of the performer was paramount. Keen was forced to hold the large audience in the palm of his hand for an hour with very few lines actually spoken live - most were delivered from the reel-to-reel player. Instead of engaging the audience with wit or dialogue, as many One Man Shows require, Keen used the strength of silence and focus to engage and compell, almost eradicating fidgetting and whispering throughout - no mean feat when the seats have no backs! Keen's make-up was simple but grotesquely effective - bleached to the point of clown-like, with hideous black bags under the eyes, the image of age was well established, without resorting to 'aging' makeup which would have proved ineffective in such an intimate space. On the other hand, no attempt was made to conceal the fact that the make-up ended at the jaw-line, clearly establishing a theatricality to the character.
There are only four shows remaining in this limited season. Keen is departing Australia for Britain in the New Year, and you would be well advised to make the most of seeing this exemplar character actor plying his trade and doing what he does best. Three of the performances are 'lunchtime' gigs, free shows aimed at the university set, but are open to all. A final Sunday night performance has been organised for Sunday October 28, at 8pm, for only $6. This is a seriously underperformed script, and it is not often that someone has the guts to have a crack at it in almost the exact manner described in the stage directions. I doubt you will get to see a performance of this play again for a long while, and it will be a long time also before you will see Beckett performed with such conviction, passion, and focus. It's a shame it's only on for a week.
Justin Hammond
KRAPP'S LAST TAPE
One Man show
Venue:
HAYMAN THEATRE UPSTAIRS, CURTIN, PERTH.
Simon Keen, in his graduating thesis production of Samuel Beckett's enormous 'Krapp's Last Tape', took on a beast and won, tonight at Curtin's Hayman Theatre.
'Krapp's Last Tape' was written in by the wonderful Irish playwright in the fifties, and depicts a lonely evening 'in the future' as Krapp, a man of 69, reflects on his life by listening to old reel-to-reel tapes of himself, recorded thirty years in the past. The story is that of desperation, senility, and a savage introspection, while the ravages of time are laid bare before the audience, who watch the grizzled, grouchy, eccentric Old Krapp while simultaneously hearing the articulate, poetic, and ambitious Young Krapp on tape, pondering his thirtieth birthday.
As with any One Man Show, the focus of the performer was paramount. Keen was forced to hold the large audience in the palm of his hand for an hour with very few lines actually spoken live - most were delivered from the reel-to-reel player. Instead of engaging the audience with wit or dialogue, as many One Man Shows require, Keen used the strength of silence and focus to engage and compell, almost eradicating fidgetting and whispering throughout - no mean feat when the seats have no backs! Keen's make-up was simple but grotesquely effective - bleached to the point of clown-like, with hideous black bags under the eyes, the image of age was well established, without resorting to 'aging' makeup which would have proved ineffective in such an intimate space. On the other hand, no attempt was made to conceal the fact that the make-up ended at the jaw-line, clearly establishing a theatricality to the character.
There are only four shows remaining in this limited season. Keen is departing Australia for Britain in the New Year, and you would be well advised to make the most of seeing this exemplar character actor plying his trade and doing what he does best. Three of the performances are 'lunchtime' gigs, free shows aimed at the university set, but are open to all. A final Sunday night performance has been organised for Sunday October 28, at 8pm, for only $6. This is a seriously underperformed script, and it is not often that someone has the guts to have a crack at it in almost the exact manner described in the stage directions. I doubt you will get to see a performance of this play again for a long while, and it will be a long time also before you will see Beckett performed with such conviction, passion, and focus. It's a shame it's only on for a week.
Justin Hammond
HammoSun, 21 Oct 2001, 11:26 pm
Play:
KRAPP'S LAST TAPE
One Man show
Venue:
HAYMAN THEATRE UPSTAIRS, CURTIN, PERTH.
Simon Keen, in his graduating thesis production of Samuel Beckett's enormous 'Krapp's Last Tape', took on a beast and won, tonight at Curtin's Hayman Theatre.
'Krapp's Last Tape' was written in by the wonderful Irish playwright in the fifties, and depicts a lonely evening 'in the future' as Krapp, a man of 69, reflects on his life by listening to old reel-to-reel tapes of himself, recorded thirty years in the past. The story is that of desperation, senility, and a savage introspection, while the ravages of time are laid bare before the audience, who watch the grizzled, grouchy, eccentric Old Krapp while simultaneously hearing the articulate, poetic, and ambitious Young Krapp on tape, pondering his thirtieth birthday.
As with any One Man Show, the focus of the performer was paramount. Keen was forced to hold the large audience in the palm of his hand for an hour with very few lines actually spoken live - most were delivered from the reel-to-reel player. Instead of engaging the audience with wit or dialogue, as many One Man Shows require, Keen used the strength of silence and focus to engage and compell, almost eradicating fidgetting and whispering throughout - no mean feat when the seats have no backs! Keen's make-up was simple but grotesquely effective - bleached to the point of clown-like, with hideous black bags under the eyes, the image of age was well established, without resorting to 'aging' makeup which would have proved ineffective in such an intimate space. On the other hand, no attempt was made to conceal the fact that the make-up ended at the jaw-line, clearly establishing a theatricality to the character.
There are only four shows remaining in this limited season. Keen is departing Australia for Britain in the New Year, and you would be well advised to make the most of seeing this exemplar character actor plying his trade and doing what he does best. Three of the performances are 'lunchtime' gigs, free shows aimed at the university set, but are open to all. A final Sunday night performance has been organised for Sunday October 28, at 8pm, for only $6. This is a seriously underperformed script, and it is not often that someone has the guts to have a crack at it in almost the exact manner described in the stage directions. I doubt you will get to see a performance of this play again for a long while, and it will be a long time also before you will see Beckett performed with such conviction, passion, and focus. It's a shame it's only on for a week.
Justin Hammond
KRAPP'S LAST TAPE
One Man show
Venue:
HAYMAN THEATRE UPSTAIRS, CURTIN, PERTH.
Simon Keen, in his graduating thesis production of Samuel Beckett's enormous 'Krapp's Last Tape', took on a beast and won, tonight at Curtin's Hayman Theatre.
'Krapp's Last Tape' was written in by the wonderful Irish playwright in the fifties, and depicts a lonely evening 'in the future' as Krapp, a man of 69, reflects on his life by listening to old reel-to-reel tapes of himself, recorded thirty years in the past. The story is that of desperation, senility, and a savage introspection, while the ravages of time are laid bare before the audience, who watch the grizzled, grouchy, eccentric Old Krapp while simultaneously hearing the articulate, poetic, and ambitious Young Krapp on tape, pondering his thirtieth birthday.
As with any One Man Show, the focus of the performer was paramount. Keen was forced to hold the large audience in the palm of his hand for an hour with very few lines actually spoken live - most were delivered from the reel-to-reel player. Instead of engaging the audience with wit or dialogue, as many One Man Shows require, Keen used the strength of silence and focus to engage and compell, almost eradicating fidgetting and whispering throughout - no mean feat when the seats have no backs! Keen's make-up was simple but grotesquely effective - bleached to the point of clown-like, with hideous black bags under the eyes, the image of age was well established, without resorting to 'aging' makeup which would have proved ineffective in such an intimate space. On the other hand, no attempt was made to conceal the fact that the make-up ended at the jaw-line, clearly establishing a theatricality to the character.
There are only four shows remaining in this limited season. Keen is departing Australia for Britain in the New Year, and you would be well advised to make the most of seeing this exemplar character actor plying his trade and doing what he does best. Three of the performances are 'lunchtime' gigs, free shows aimed at the university set, but are open to all. A final Sunday night performance has been organised for Sunday October 28, at 8pm, for only $6. This is a seriously underperformed script, and it is not often that someone has the guts to have a crack at it in almost the exact manner described in the stage directions. I doubt you will get to see a performance of this play again for a long while, and it will be a long time also before you will see Beckett performed with such conviction, passion, and focus. It's a shame it's only on for a week.
Justin Hammond
crgwllmsWed, 24 Oct 2001, 06:39 pm
RE: Krapp's Last Tape
KRAPP'S LAST TAPE
Samuel Beckett
HAYMAN THEATRE UPSTAIRS, CURTIN, PERTH.
Cast: Simon Keen
Dir: Simon Keen
This is a very difficult and brave piece to attempt, and while I admit that my difficulty in understanding it as a whole may have perhaps hindered my appreciation, I'm afraid I found it very difficult to become engaged in this performance.
Simon Keen, directing himself as the old man, Krapp, has decided on a very stylised portrayal, with make-up that reminded me of an old Bela Lugosi film; and the black & white video projection of the actor's face (although under-utilised) added to the old horror-movie feeling of menace. Clearly we are not meant to feel comfortable with the character, and there is more than a hint of madness and malice in the slow build of stage business before we hear any of the story. The set is effectively claustrophobic, placing all focus directly onto the performer.
Keen was physically disciplined and focussed in attempting to portray the essence of an old man reflecting back on his diary recordings from thirty years earlier. But these physical choices seemed to force him into a slow, unemotive, evenly paced, (and have I said slow?) performance style. When it came time to deliver the few grunts of spoken dialogue, I found the vocal quality forced and unemotive, and rather than conveying menace or inspiring pity I just found it hard to listen to.
Similarly, the pre-recorded dialogue (which constitutes the bulk of the spoken text) had a forced, disconnected quality to its delivery that I found hard to accept as the true musings on tape of this man in his youth. Because I wasn't particularly engaged by the voice on the tape, it was difficult to draw any conclusions about the actor's reactions onstage. Yes, the two characters seemed worlds apart, but that became so obviously apparent that it meant very little. Perhaps more emphasis on the similarities would've made the old man's loss more poignant.
I'm not too familiar with the works of Beckett, but there seems to be an underlying theme of displacement, loss, confusion and pointlessness inherent in the text. So I grant that there is probably symbolism in the use of the repetitive staging, that (to me) bordered on tedium. There were no surprises - I felt my mind racing ahead to complete each action the second it was started, and impatiently waiting for the actor to catch up. The action seemed to halt every time the actor stood up to shuffle around his desk; and each time the tape had to be re-threaded onto the reel-to-reel player, it created an uncomfortable hiatus that made me wish it was all put onto a simple cassette. (Unfortunately, during the show I witnessed, the reel-to reel broke down half way, and Keen's moment where he tried to fix it in character, before abandoning it, seemed to me the most spontaneous and engaging of the play).
While Keen showed a consistent committment to character, with a controlled use of silence, I feel that some reworking of the action could tighten up his performance considerably without losing the vision of the piece.
But I also appreciate that this play is probably not intended to please or amuse. If the theme is to portray the sad pointlessness to human existence, then much of my discomfort while watching was probably due to this actor/director achieving his intended aim.
Craig
<8>-/====/-------------
Samuel Beckett
HAYMAN THEATRE UPSTAIRS, CURTIN, PERTH.
Cast: Simon Keen
Dir: Simon Keen
This is a very difficult and brave piece to attempt, and while I admit that my difficulty in understanding it as a whole may have perhaps hindered my appreciation, I'm afraid I found it very difficult to become engaged in this performance.
Simon Keen, directing himself as the old man, Krapp, has decided on a very stylised portrayal, with make-up that reminded me of an old Bela Lugosi film; and the black & white video projection of the actor's face (although under-utilised) added to the old horror-movie feeling of menace. Clearly we are not meant to feel comfortable with the character, and there is more than a hint of madness and malice in the slow build of stage business before we hear any of the story. The set is effectively claustrophobic, placing all focus directly onto the performer.
Keen was physically disciplined and focussed in attempting to portray the essence of an old man reflecting back on his diary recordings from thirty years earlier. But these physical choices seemed to force him into a slow, unemotive, evenly paced, (and have I said slow?) performance style. When it came time to deliver the few grunts of spoken dialogue, I found the vocal quality forced and unemotive, and rather than conveying menace or inspiring pity I just found it hard to listen to.
Similarly, the pre-recorded dialogue (which constitutes the bulk of the spoken text) had a forced, disconnected quality to its delivery that I found hard to accept as the true musings on tape of this man in his youth. Because I wasn't particularly engaged by the voice on the tape, it was difficult to draw any conclusions about the actor's reactions onstage. Yes, the two characters seemed worlds apart, but that became so obviously apparent that it meant very little. Perhaps more emphasis on the similarities would've made the old man's loss more poignant.
I'm not too familiar with the works of Beckett, but there seems to be an underlying theme of displacement, loss, confusion and pointlessness inherent in the text. So I grant that there is probably symbolism in the use of the repetitive staging, that (to me) bordered on tedium. There were no surprises - I felt my mind racing ahead to complete each action the second it was started, and impatiently waiting for the actor to catch up. The action seemed to halt every time the actor stood up to shuffle around his desk; and each time the tape had to be re-threaded onto the reel-to-reel player, it created an uncomfortable hiatus that made me wish it was all put onto a simple cassette. (Unfortunately, during the show I witnessed, the reel-to reel broke down half way, and Keen's moment where he tried to fix it in character, before abandoning it, seemed to me the most spontaneous and engaging of the play).
While Keen showed a consistent committment to character, with a controlled use of silence, I feel that some reworking of the action could tighten up his performance considerably without losing the vision of the piece.
But I also appreciate that this play is probably not intended to please or amuse. If the theme is to portray the sad pointlessness to human existence, then much of my discomfort while watching was probably due to this actor/director achieving his intended aim.
Craig
<8>-/====/-------------
Walter PlingeThu, 25 Oct 2001, 11:59 pm
RE: Krapp's Last Tape
Not going to argue with you on the above (I don't agree necessarily though).
Just one question: what did you mean when you said the projection was under-utilised?
OK, two questions: did you get a mini-program?
Cheers,
Simon
Just one question: what did you mean when you said the projection was under-utilised?
OK, two questions: did you get a mini-program?
Cheers,
Simon
crgwllmsFri, 26 Oct 2001, 08:37 am
RE: Krapp's Last Tape
Simon Keen wrote:
-------------------------------
>>"Not going to argue with you on the above (I don't agree necessarily though)."
Don't worry, I suspect there will be many others who don't agree with me either.
I'm impressed that you are strong enough NOT to have to argue! My opinion, like Justin's, is still just one opinion, so take what's useful to you and then follow your own path.
>>"Just one question: what did you mean when you said the projection was under-utilised?"
Seemed strange to me to have the projection at all, when the set was so small and the audience so close that we were virtually getting a "close up" of the performance anyway. The only time it was effective were the times when the character was in a fixed position facing the audience in full view, at exactly the same angle we were seeing on screen...not a lot was added by having the camera. Much of the rest of the play it was showing blank space, or an elbow; then it became a distraction.
What I meant by under-utilised was if it was going to be there at all, I would have liked to have seen it put to more use - perhaps by showing a different angle, differing zoom lengths, or if an operator was used, by following your movement around the desk or offstage. Moments where the action paused to achieve routine stage business like opening drawers or threading the reels could perhaps be heightened by the use of close camerawork, giving a slightly more personal perspective for the audience.
I actually really did like the "old movie" effect that it gave you, particularly with your make-up, and would've liked to have seen that explored a bit more.
>>"OK, two questions: did you get a mini-program?"
Yes, thanks. I did take into account the production notes, and so I do appreciate the magnitude of what was being attempted here.
Keep at it.
Cheers,
Craig
<8>-/====/----------
-------------------------------
>>"Not going to argue with you on the above (I don't agree necessarily though)."
Don't worry, I suspect there will be many others who don't agree with me either.
I'm impressed that you are strong enough NOT to have to argue! My opinion, like Justin's, is still just one opinion, so take what's useful to you and then follow your own path.
>>"Just one question: what did you mean when you said the projection was under-utilised?"
Seemed strange to me to have the projection at all, when the set was so small and the audience so close that we were virtually getting a "close up" of the performance anyway. The only time it was effective were the times when the character was in a fixed position facing the audience in full view, at exactly the same angle we were seeing on screen...not a lot was added by having the camera. Much of the rest of the play it was showing blank space, or an elbow; then it became a distraction.
What I meant by under-utilised was if it was going to be there at all, I would have liked to have seen it put to more use - perhaps by showing a different angle, differing zoom lengths, or if an operator was used, by following your movement around the desk or offstage. Moments where the action paused to achieve routine stage business like opening drawers or threading the reels could perhaps be heightened by the use of close camerawork, giving a slightly more personal perspective for the audience.
I actually really did like the "old movie" effect that it gave you, particularly with your make-up, and would've liked to have seen that explored a bit more.
>>"OK, two questions: did you get a mini-program?"
Yes, thanks. I did take into account the production notes, and so I do appreciate the magnitude of what was being attempted here.
Keep at it.
Cheers,
Craig
<8>-/====/----------
Walter PlingeWed, 31 Oct 2001, 12:31 pm
RE: Krapp's Last Tape
OK on the projection bit Craig, thanks.
In case you are wondering, it was used as a further example of the reproduction of the body...neither the tape or video could fully reproduce Krapp's body as a stage entity. That's part of what my thesis is about, but thanks for your response as it gives me something extra to think about.
Cheers,
Simon K
In case you are wondering, it was used as a further example of the reproduction of the body...neither the tape or video could fully reproduce Krapp's body as a stage entity. That's part of what my thesis is about, but thanks for your response as it gives me something extra to think about.
Cheers,
Simon K