A packed theatre welcomed Frantic Assembly and poet Lemn Sissay’s Metamorphosis last night.
Franz Kafka’s original novella written in 1915 still has much resonance today. Gregor Samsa – played brilliantly by Felipe Pacheco – is caught in a groundhog day existence, doing the same thing over and over again whilst working as a fabric salesman – pushing himself to the limit to make money to pay the bills and a debt that his controlling father, Mr Samsa, played by Troy Glasgow, has accumulated.
The haunting set – Gregor’s bedroom – designed by Jon Bausor, coupled with Simisola Majekodunmi’s lighting, becomes the backdrop for Gregor’s dehumanisation as he becomes more and more withdrawn from society.
Grete, Gregor’s sister, played by Hannah Sinclair Robinson, is first seen in the bedroom, draping herself in fabrics he has brought home from work. She is a teenager and still learning about the world. She later becomes the only one he can trust, until she too turns her back on him.
Gregor hides his feelings about his job to his family, giving them a narrative they want to hear, of success. This existence starts to take its toll on him. Firstly, his face starts to tic, until his whole body jerks and squirms.
He wakes up late one morning to find he has transformed into a giant ‘insect’. His mother Mrs Samsa, played by Louise Mai Newberry, tries to wake him, shouting to him through his bedroom door. He answers her, but she doesn’t understand. None of the family do.
Gregor feels increasingly alienated from his family as he literally climbs the walls – Pacheco really brings his character to life as he writhes on the floor, swings from the light fitting and climbs atop the bed.
His family begin to feel he is an embarrassment. Because he can’t communicate, they think he doesn’t understand them. He keeps himself locked in his room.
With the mantra ‘beggars can’t be choosers’, and with no money coming in following Gregor’s demise, Mr Samsa takes on a lodger who has ideas of buying the property and selling it off as real estate.
The lodger, played by Joe Layton, who also plays the chief clerk, then sees Gregor and leaves without paying.
The family build a narrative as to why Gregor ‘went away’. Gregor, feeling worthless, accepts his fate.
The set is wonderfully eerie, and the actors play their parts admirably. I couldn’t help thinking, though, that this play would have been better if it hadn’t been so drawn out.
That said, with Metamorphosis being part of the GCSE curriculum, it was great to see a large part of the audience made up of young people, some of whom may well have been experiencing their first taste of the theatre.
Metamorphosis is at Curve until Saturday 23 September.
Limited tickets available £10-£34
