Gary Oldman is set to return to the theatre where his career began.
The Oscar-winning actor will return to the stage next year for the first time since the late ’80s, starring in Samuel Beckett’s Krapp’s Last Tape.
The one-act play, which will run at the York Theatre Royal from 14 April to 17 May 2025, tells the story of a man listening to tape recordings of his younger self.
Oldman’s career began at the venue in 1979 with a production of Ben Traver’s Thark, and he went on to appear in plays such as She Stoops to Conquer and Privates on Parade.
He then went on to perform with the Royal Shakespeare Company and in London productions of Cabaret, Entertaining Mr. Sloane and more. He made his last stage appearance in Serious Money at London’s Royal Court in 1987.
“My professional public acting debut was on the stage at the York Theatre Royal,” the actor told the BBC. “York, for me, is the completion of a circle. It is ‘the where it all began’. York, in a very real sense, for me, is coming home.”
Oldman added that starring in Krapp’s Last Tape at the York Theatre is “all the more poignant” because it is “a play about a man returning to his past, 30 years earlier”.
After a successful career on stage, Oldman moved to the big screen, starring in films including the Harry Potter movies, The Dark Knight and Darkest Hour, for which he won an Oscar. He is currently starring in the Apple TV+ series Slow Horses.
The star revealed that he has been planning his return to the stage for many years.
“I have never been far from the theatre and, in fact, have been discussing plays and my return to the theatre for nearly 30 years,” he shared.
