Gary Oldman and chief executive Paul Crewes survey the York Theatre Royal auditorium on the Slow Horses star’s visit in February 2014. Picture: Gisele Schmidt
GARY Oldman’s “coming home” to York Theatre Royal after 45 years for “the completion of a cycle” in directing, designing and starring in Krapp’s Last Tape could not have gone any better.
More than 18,000 tickets sold for the April 14 to May 17 residency; every performance sold out; 700 bookers from overseas; 60 per cent of the audience attending a Theatre Royal show for the first time; Policeman Sting, Slow Horses co-star Freddie Fox and clothes designer Paul Smith among the Gary Oldmania throng.
Hundreds of minutes spent signing autographs and posing for photos post-show by the Stage Door after every show bar the matinees; 100 bananas munched on stage, Gary’s chomping progress charted on a banana counter on a dressing-room mirror.
Then add screen star Gary being photographed with Theatre Royal staff in the auditorium on the last Friday; Gary leading a session with York Theatre Royal Youth Theatre members the day before; Gary writing farewell cards to staff; Gary enjoying his visits to Bettys, The Ivy and the Minster Gate Bookshop.
“Gary told me that it was one of the highlights of his career,” says delighted Theatre Royal chief executive Paul Crewes, whose first meeting with Oldman 14 months earlier set in motion Oldman’s first stage appearance since Caryl Churchill’s Serious Money at the Royal Court Theatre, London, in 1987.
Gary Oldman in Samuel Beckett’s melancholic monodrama Krapp’s Last Tape on his return to the York Theatre Royal stage after 45 years: a case of two men in their 60s and their memories. Picture: Gisele Schmidt
“They [Gary and his wife Gisele Schmidt] had a wonderful time here and were a joy to have in the building. They loved being in the theatre, they loved being in the city, and we knew we weren’t just selling a name but a very high standard piece of theatre. ”
Oldman’s career had begun in 1979 in his debut professional season in the Theatre Royal repertory ranks, culminating in his pantomime appearance as the Cat in Dick Whittington And His Wonderful Cat. He contests dame Berwick Kaler’s recollection that the Cat fainted three times, by the way. “Not true,” he told Crewes.
“It all started with me taking Gary up to the roof when we did a tour of the building in February 2014. That triggered his thought that he should do a show here, and then it took months and months to feed it to fruition, growing from the seed of an idea to what you saw on stage,” says Paul.
Now that the posters, the security team, the Krapp’s Last Tape T-shirts, have gone, Paul reflects: “It was great to work with him over that time – and it was good for the theatre to get people locally, nationally and internationally to come to the Theatre Royal. That can only benefit our profile within the industry, with actors, as we’re not just thinking about projects now, but projects in 2026 and 2027. The more profile we get, the more opportunities will come with that.
The poster artwork for York Theatre Royal’s production of Krapp’s Last Tape starring returnee Gary Oldman
“We also had national coverage of Emma Rice’s company, Wise Children, opening the world premiere of her adaptation of Alfred Hitchcock’s North By Northwest here earlier this year.
“Both Gary and Emma’s teams left here extremely happy with the organisation and the staff, and that’s one of the things we’re most proud of.”
One key decision was to put the quality of audience experience before maximum commercial gain. “We didn’t sell the gallery seating, because we felt that 570 seats was the right amount artistically,” reveals Paul.
“A commercial producer would have sold all the seats, but Gary and I made the decision to forego the gallery so that people could see him on stage as close as they could.”
Gary Oldman in the stalls on his exploratory visit to the York Theatre Royal in 2024. Picture: Gisele Schmidt
Krapp’s Last Tape attracted 33 reviews at the last count, from The New York Times to Tatler, but Oldman restricted himself to only one newspaper interview. “Part of that was retaining the mystery of it all, through the play saying why he was here, rather than telling people all about why he was here. He wanted to concentrate on the work, and he took it all very seriously,” says Paul.
That included Oldman working his way through the potassium overload of more bananas than a Grand Slam-chasing tennis player. “The way Gary talked about it psychologically is that he would go out for a meal and have no puddings, so the bananas were like his dessert,” says Paul.
Just as Oldman was meticulous in his preparation, so was the Theatre Royal. “We spent a lot of time on the planning. Lots of nuances had to be really thought through, and I don’t think it could have gone any better: looking after Gary, looking after the audiences; working out how to bring a global film star to York Theatre Royal,” says Paul. “He enjoyed it, we enjoyed it, everyone enjoyed it – and we had the boost of selling out before opening the run.”
Even then, you could not be sure that a production would be deemed an artistic success. “That’s the joy and the risk of theatre. The interpretation that Gary brought to the play was really well thought through. Locating it in an attic, it was clear where Krapp was and why he was there.
“Normally Samuel Beckett’s play is not so naturalistic. Often it has just a desk and a few items, but here it was an attic, as full of clutter as memories. Edward Beckett, Beckett’s nephew, came to see it in the first week or two and was very positive – and he’s seen a lot of them!”
As for the future, Paul says: “For me, it’s only ever about ambition, and you’re never going to be successful with all the shows you do, but you have to be ambitious in what you want to present.
“We have to make theatre as exciting as we can. Having Gary here was like winning the lottery, but what we have to do is keep the momentum going. Everything we do has to have the same energy and enthusiasm. We want all the work we are producing to be of a standard that’s recognised nationally and potentially internationally too.”
Gary Oldman, front centre, and York Theatre Royal staff gather in the stalls on the last Friday of his Krapp’s Last Tape residency. Picture: Charlie Kirkpatrick