This playlet was written as a curtain-raiser for the Royal Court’s production of Krapp’s Last Tape starring Gary Oldman.  Leo Simpe-Asante was one of the winners of the inaugural 2025 Royal Court Young Playwrights Award for this amusing play about the consternation caused by Samuel Beckett’s plays of Absurdity.  

A confused actor Shakeel Haakim takes centre stage as the music intensifies.  He is wearing a black suit and carrying a black bowler hat.   He enters and then starts to leave.  He comes back and as he sits down, the music stops.  He looks around, unsure as to what to expect.  He starts to get up shaking his head when there is a loud ping.  A loud female, peremptory voice says,  “TASK: ‘Decide to leave’ completed.  Well done! Let’s move on to your next task.  Do you know what it is?”

Despite his reluctance, Haakim is stuck there although he tries to make excuses and leave.  The list of Tasks gets more complicated from simple Tasks like “Talk” to “Learn Something New About Yourself”. His name is Godot.  Task “Work through your relationship with your father.”  Godot starts to protest, to question the Voice.  He says “This isn’t an equal conversation”.  

In a few short minutes Leo Simpe-Asante (Damn spelling police keep auto-correcting that to Simple.  NOEL we chorus! ) has created that unsettling feeling of insecurity we can experience watching Samuel Beckett’s plays.  It is a clever and witty piece well acted by Haakim.  AND now we know why they were waiting so long for Godot!