Metamorphosis

Synopsis

Gregor Samsa is a travelling salesman until, that is, the day he wakes up as a gigantic insect. So begins Berkoff's exploration of Kafka's surreal tale. In a world where money and work are God, this play reminds us the human spirit should not be taken for granted.

Our Review:

15 January 2008

Oh yes, the bug is indeed back. If you missed this physical theatre adaptation of Franz Kafka’s “six-legged nightmare” in its two previous seasons at the Lyric Hammersmith, don’t make the same mistake again. Co-adapted and co-directed by Lyric artistic director David Farr and Gisli Orn Gardarsson of pioneering Icelandic theatre company Vesturport, the piece remains a weird and wonderful delight.

From the wordless ten-minute opening sequence - showing the mundane daily routines of the Samsa family – to the shattering aerial conclusion 85 interval-free minutes later, both set to the haunting music of Nick Cave and Warren Ellis, Metamorphosis never ceases to both mesmerise and unsettle.

Bjorn Thors has scuttled into Orn Gardarsson’s shoes (?) as the transformed Gregor, climbing the walls and dangling from the ceiling with breathtaking agility. Fellow Icelanders Elva Osk Olafsdottir and Unnur Osp Stefansdottir have taken over as Gregor’s mother ...

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Latest User Review

akaty - 6 February 2011:

I saw this at The Lowry and was amazed by the sense of the power of difference, isolation and shock. I wish it was available on DVD. ...

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