A new adaptation of Franz Kafka’s Metamorphosis is coming to Worthing via an exciting collaboration between poet and writer, Lemn Sissay OBE, and physical theatre company, Frantic Assembly. This mix of creative powerhouses, whose work is linked by a desire to express real, raw human struggles through their art, is sure to be an unmissable event.
“This is a meeting of minds, ready to play and explore and find out what we can bring to this iconic title.”
Who was Franz Kafka?
Kafka’s work is best known for his use of surreal and often nightmarish situations set against unfeeling and sterile environments. His characters often face impossible and complicated scenarios, yet seem to strive against their circumstances in the hope of improving their situations. Dying in relative obscurity in 1924, Kafka has gone on to be regarded as one of the most visionary writers of the 20th century, and the term ‘Kafkaesque’ has transcended the literary realm to refer to film media, and even real-life situations, that deal in the incomprehensible and strange.
What is Metamorphosis all about?
One morning travelling salesman, Gregor Samsa, wakes to find he has transformed into an enormous insect. Up until now, Gregor has acted as the sole provider for his family, quietly and diligently working to improve their lives. His sudden metamorphosis upends his life, and that of his family, who grow increasingly hostile and neglectful towards him. There have been many interpretations and adaptations of Metamorphosis over the last century, but Kafka was insistent that in the publishing of his work there should be no illustrations of Gregor in his transformed state, opening his text up for audiences to make interpretations for themselves, giving the surreal events a universal edge.
What’s the significance?
Whilst Gregor’s situation is one of fantasy, Director Scott Graham points to its parallels in society today, specifically the family’s financial struggles saying “This is about modern living, and an economic system which invites you into debt and then squeezes you.” One turn of events can drastically change the course of our lives: an accident, a loss of work, a change in personal circumstances, can bring down the safety nets around our lives, sometimes irrevocably. Whilst people don’t turn into huge bugs, sudden changes to our ability to be part of a society that demands our participation and contribution can leave us feeling outcast, invalidated and facing hostility. Gregor’s sudden transition from breadwinner to burden acts as a reminder of the fragility of our lives within a system that was not built to favour us.
Lemn Sissay’s new adaptation of Metamorphosis sits aside Frantic Assembly’s Othello as the second production in their Iconic strand of work. Iconic sees the company take on titles that bring with them so much history and baggage, love and opinion and create vital, thrilling contemporary theatre. Sissay’s past work has often reflected on his childhood experiences of being rejected by those charged with his care, drawing a parallel between the writer and the protagonist. But Sissay stresses that this adaptation is more about how a whole family deals with challenging circumstances: “This is about austerity and how a family can turn against one of their own. And I would put it to you that the majority of families have done that.” Sissay highlights that Metamorphosis explores social isolation and financial hardship – issues more people have faced since the Covid-19 pandemic: “[the pandemic] made us all experience a little of what Gregor experiences when he’s locked in his bedroom.”
Metamorphosis will be an inherently visceral production about the limitations of the body and mind, imagination and aspiration. All of this, coupled with the fluidity and lyricism of Lemn Sissay’s adaptation, promises an exciting and dynamic show.
Metamorphosis
Tuesday 3 October to Saturday 7 October March 2023
Connaught Theatre, Union Place, Worthing, West Sussex, BN11 1LG
Tickets: From £15
Rehearsal and Production photography: Adi Detemo