A whole lot of people!
KLPAC, Sentul
Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis
(source)
The play was an adaptation of Kafka's work which was originally published in the early 1900s. It was about this guy, the sole breadwinner of the family who one day wakes up and finds himself as a bug. What bug? Dung beetle, I think. Why and how? WHO KNOWS?! That's the one pertinent question Kafka avoids, as he discovers the metamorphosis of the man's (Gregor) family members (mum, dad and Greta), documenting their behavior and actions towards Gregor. They partially shun him, keeping him in his room the whole time. Gregor was still Gregor, albeit stuck in the body of an insect and could not speak.
"Just because you don't understand me doesn't mean I don't understand you!"
The set was a bunch of metal scaffoldings (?) concentrated in the middle, where the cage-like set surrounds a black podium that serves as Gregor's room. The other fixtures were three black stools for the mum, dad and Greta to sit on, which was also lent to the three lodgers.
When he first awakes from his slumber as a bug, Gregor initiates a movement with a hand with fingers sprawling out. I think many in the audience snickered as they thought of Lady Gaga. It was very interesting to see Gregor climb up and down the metal railings, although I would have liked it more it was more utilised!
I did not see the cartwheels coming.
The climax was startling, to say the least. (no, not the cartwheels) I thought the ending was sombre-it did give a very dark tone, but the final scene was a nice touch, I thought.
Hey, you would be forgiven if you thought Gregor would morph into a butterfly in the end.
Check out pictures of the cast here
1 comment:
THANK YOU for posting up this post as soon as you did!
I didn't know that there's this play in Klpac before you posted this up, and initiated a flurry of messages and facebook posts to get people to come with me! I did go to the one today afternoon.
I think one of the scary part of any of Kafka's stuff is, how it can be so surreal, yet so truthful. I had fun spotting the play's few symbols, and although a great performance, I left feeling disgusted, with how easily any of us can be selfish. It isn't a stretch to see the same thing happening to the breadwinner of the family who became disabled in some way.
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