Krapp's Last Tape/Godot's To-Do List | Royal Court

70 Years at the Royal Court marks a huge milestone for one of the most prominent venues in the London theatre scene; so it is only right that the 70th anniversary programming honours the venues past and future. Through this absurdist double billing, David Byrne achieves just this.

Godot's To-Do List, written by award winning new playwright Leo Simpe-Asante, acts as a curtain raiser in this double billing. Fusing comedic greatness and existential dread, Simpe-Asante builds on Beckett's recognised greatness and crafts his own unique and unmissable voice. There is no doubt that many playwrights will be kicking themselves for not grabbing this idea sooner as Simpe-Asante has crafted a 30 minute masterpiece.

Shakeel Haakim brings the infamous, allusive character of Godot to glistening life. Haakim delivers the audience a charming and distinctly discombobulated character that explores such varied emotions through a mammoth 30-minute journey all whilst being confined to a small space.

Flora Ashton accompanies Haakim's triumph with her own. Ashton provides the voice of the To-Do List with a robotic nature that feels almost artificial, yet she is capable of lacing this delivery with emotion and excitement, perfectly toying with Haakim's Godot.

Godot's To-Do List was a sure fire triumph and a just winner of the Young Playwrights Award. Raising the curtain fantastically for the evening and providing some of the most exciting new work seen on the Royal Court's stage so far this year.

Gary Oldman continues this double bill; returning to the stage after a substantial hiatus, causing this programming to be such a hot ticket. Krapp's Last Tape, an iconic Samuel Beckett play, and a staple in the Royal Court's history brings reminiscence and reflection centre stage. Audiences are bought into a strangers life, no context, no understanding and we sit and listen.

Every time Oldman speaks, the audience cling on to every last word, with such limited live speech, it feels like a gift to receive Oldman's talents. However, his strengths lie in his comedic ability through silence. Many golden moments throughout this performance come from Oldman's lack of speech mixed with his physical achievements. Watching Oldman eat a

banana is worth the cost of a ticket alone.

The heat of this ticket is justified, Oldman is fantastic within his command of the space and his directorial vision. Whilst sometimes Krapp's Last Tape seems to take a while to meet a tonal shift, when it does, it certainly hits and the final moments of the piece are heavy hitting. Absurdist theatre is always a risk, yet the Royal Court have pushed boundaries, as always, and it has certainly paid off in this double bill.

Krapp's Last Tape/Godot's To-Do List plays at the Royal Court Theatre until 30th May, with sold out shows - you can find more information about last minute tickets on the link here.

★★★★☆ (4*)

Gifted tickets in return for an honest review | Photography by Jack English and Camilla Greenwell