Metamorphosis
Bread & Roses Theatre
Reviewed – 3rd October 2018
★★★★
“this highly original piece surpasses the usual version of events”
‘…at least, that’s how it should have happened.’
When the subject of a story is written about in a compelling, expressive, even beautiful manner, it is difficult to imagine that there could be any other aspect of the plot worth mentioning. Reading Franz Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis”, for example, it is hard to remember that the Samsa family have lives beyond obsessing over their son Gregor – a former travelling salesman who is now a giant insect. To be fair this is a pretty gripping plot; nonetheless, it leaves questions that are long overdue answers.
In this thought-provoking reimagining of Kafka’s tale, Sam Chittenden proposes and skilfully answers the question – “Who is Grete Samsa?” By her own admission, Grete’s role in the story is very much, ‘the sister did this, the daughter did that’. But who is she beyond this? For Chittenden, she is a young girl undergoing a transformation as dark and difficult as that of her brother: puberty. Simultaneously, the two siblings face the feeling of waking up in a new body, of being changed and looked at with newfound fascination. The only difference is that, unlike her brother, Grete must endure it unsupported, unnoticed, and unloved.
“The Metamorphosis” has been retold countless times; this highly original piece surpasses the usual version of events. Chittenden’s script is engaging and cleverly uses aspects of the original story in new and effective ways. She uses the concept of a grotesque transformation to explore the feelings of adolescent girls as their bodies change. This shift in identity (from girl to woman) is no less daunting than the prospect of waking up and finding yourself changed into an insect or animal: both displace stability and lead to confusion, hurt, and anger. Simultaneously, Chittenden keeps Kafka’s tale in focus, drawing engaging portraits of the entire Samsa family and generally refining areas that were neglected in the original.
Grete is effortlessly bought to life by Heather-Rose Andrews. Andrews effortlessly transitions between the adult and adolescent Grete, vocally and physically capturing their respective emotional cores with ease. One moment she has the audience suspended in rapture as she details a horrific instance of sexual assault; the next, her tone is light and frivolous as she mocks her parents’ inability to notice anything beyond their son’s predicament. The unfussy set – Gregor’s briefcase sits downstage, Grete’s bed upstage – allows Andrews to weave her way through the space uninterrupted, and the small moments of physical theatre add some accents of Kafkaesque absurdity. Unfortunately, the persistent music sometimes undermines the subtly of Andrews’ performance. She is more than capable of portraying the emotional depth that this piece requires of her, and it is a shame that the music artificially attempts to do this on her behalf.
Metamorphosis is a polished and beautifully executed show which deserves a much wider audience. Not only is it an enjoyable piece of theatre, but it adds to the conversation surrounding Kafka’s work and asks important questions of this iconic and much-interpreted story.
Reviewed by Harriet Corke
Metamorphosis
Bread & Roses Theatre as part of the Clapham Fringe Festival
Previously reviewed at this venue:
Austen The Musical | ★★★★ | January 2018
Blue Moon | ★★★ | January 2018
F*ckingLifeMate | ★★★★★ | March 2018
Talos II | ★★★ | March 2018
The Buzz | ★★★ | May 2018
Once a Year on Blackpool Sands | ★★★★ | June 2018
Richard II – Shakespeare | ★★ | August 2018
Click here to see more of our latest reviews on thespyinthestalls.com
