MARIA DUARTE recommends a remarkable study of the friendship between a Palestinian and a Pakistani, broken by a hostile state
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With the beetles
SUSAN DARLINGTON is disappointed by a show that emphasises roles rather than characters
QUEASILY PITCHED: Frantic Assembly's production of Metamorphosis
[Tristram Kenton]
MATTHEW HAWKINS rakes through un-fancy words and flair-free summaries to find who and what might be flamboyant
PETER MASON is exhilarated by an exciting, well-considered and historically minded tribute to the great Trinidadian instrument
Reducing historical lives to ‘male’ and ‘female’ roles, we lose the nuance of those lives and a clearer understanding of past societies, suggests CLAIRE ISABELLA GILMOUR
CHRIS SEARLE relishes the genius of pianist Alexander Hawkins, his many ensembles, and his new album
Metamorphosis
York Theatre Royal
ANYONE who’s ground down by the 9-5 will be able to relate to the opening scene in Metamorphosis. Adapted from Franz Kafka’s novella by Lemn Sissay, in partnership with Frantic Assembly, it shows Gregor Samsa (Felipe Pacheco) stuck in a Groundhog Day of hellish salesmanship.
“I love fabric!” he perkily announces, grabbing his briefcase and waving off his parents and sister Grete as he leaves the house. It’s a routine that’s repeated again and again and again. Each time his voice is less enthusiastic, his body more slumped, his goodbyes more frazzled.
The scene, which starts in a drab bedroom whose perspectives are queasily pitched, is accompanied by pulses of 1950s adverts that proclaim the value of hard work, capitalism, and the role of the working man. Doubling down on the message, Gregor’s parents speak in marketing slogans and Grete (Hannah Sinclair Robinson) practices model poses in a full-length mirror as she transitions into womanhood.
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