Krapp's Last Tape letter to Rosset's editorial assistant, Judith Schmidt, on 11 May 1959, Beckett referred to the "staging" of "Krapp's Last Tape" as its 'creation'," and he made numerous significant changes to the text over the years as he was involved in directing the play. The first German performance, on 28 September 1959, was directed by Walter Henn at Berlin's "Schillertheater", where 10 years later, on 5 October 1969, Samuel Beckett himself staged his text in a most successful performance (with Martin Held as Krapp). The first American performance, on 14 January 1960, was directed by Alan Schneider and starred Donald Davis.
Krapp's Last Tape Parsons, adapted "Krapp's Last Tape" for piano, two pre-recorded pianos, and voice on tape. The piece, specifically written for John Tilbury, was called "Krapp Music". The play was memorably parodied in the television sketch comedy "The Fast Show", in which – as a reference to Max Wall – fictional music hall comedian Arthur Atkinson played a comically more stoic version of Krapp. It is also the title of a track on Fredrik Thordendal's solo album Sol Niger Within. A prefiguring of the play, titled, "Krapp, 39" written and performed by Michael Laurence and directed by George Demas, premiered at the