The Trial / Metamorphosis / In the Penal Colony: Three Theatre Adaptations from Franz Kafka

Berkoff, Steven / Franz Kafka

ISBN 10: 090639984X / ISBN 13: 9780906399842

Published by Amber Lane Press, 1988, 142 pp. Text in English., 1988

About this Item

Paperback, slight traces of use, else in good condition. Please see description or ask for photos.

Seller Inventory # 221581654

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Trial / Metamorphosis / In the Penal Colony: Three Theatre Adaptations from Franz Kafka
• Publisher: Amber Lane Press, 1988, 142 pp. Text in English.
• Publication Date: 1988
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 090639984X
• ISBN 13: 9780906399842
• Binding: Soft cover

About this title

Synopsis

These are three dramatic adaptations from Franz Kafka that have been performed all over the world and never fail to move audiences wherever they are played. In the Penal Colony was Berkoff's first professional production, performed at London's experimental theatre, the Arts Lab, Drury Lane, in 1968. It is a strange tale of torture and suffering featuring a macabre machine so fiendish and diabolical that it could have been designed in hell (Cast 4m). The Trial was first presented at the Oval House in 1970. It s the story of Joseph K. struggling in the abyss of self-doubt. A ludicrous parable investigating every contingency and nuance of the law (Cast 8+m, 2+f). His adaptation of Metamorphosis , in which he originally played the part of Gregor, was first produced at the Round House in 1969. Gregor, the Untermensch, is gradually transformed into an insect which his family reject, then tolerate, then loathe, and finally destroy by neglect. (Cast 3+m, 2+f)

Review

"A powerful, yet vividly funny, version of Kafka’s dark fantasy..." -- Jack Tinker, Daily Mail

"Franz Kafka, a tortured soul if ever there was one, has found his perfect modern interpreter in Steven Berkoff..." -- Antony Thorncroft, Financial Times

"Kafka’s novella ‘Metamorphosis’ (1913) is a pretty gruelling affair ... In Steven Berkoff’s brilliant stage adaptation ... it becomes more searing still." -- Christopher Grier, London Standard

"[In Berkoff’s] expressionistic interpretation of [‘Metamorphosis’] its power and often heart-rending qualities now possesses an extraordinary eloquence." -- Keith Nurse, Daily Telegraph