Written by Zeying Lang
'Steven Berkoff’s iconic adaptation of Franz Kafka's novella, which tells the tale of a travelling salesman who is transformed into an insect, is brought to life in this highly physical and visually striking production. Captured live at the Parco Theater in Tokyo, this landmark performance is in Japanese with English subtitles.' —– Steven Berkoff
The Story
Adapted from the famous novella of Franz Kafka's, Metamorphosis tells a story of how a person transforms into an insect, and the story after the transition. The main character, Gregor, is a salesman that works very hard. He has a big family, and he is the only income source of his family. His parents and his sister are all counting on his salaries. One day, when he wakes up, he finds out that he's turned into a bug. He lost ability to work, but he still has the heart and mind as a normal human. However, ever since he lost his job, his family has changed their attitudes towards him, and they think Gregor is a burden to their life. The fragile bond and love between him and his family are corrupted and destroyed by money.
The Props and Scene Set
What astonished me in this production is the simplicity of the setting on the stage. Before I watched the play, I was wondering how complicated the stage props would be because it is not easy to show the transition from a person to a bug, and the behaviors of the bugs. However, the actors impressed me with their excellent performances. The transition of each scene happened smoothly in their acting. There's only three chairs, and an elevated climbing frame. The actor who played Greg used his vivid body languages and exaggerated movements to act as a bug. And his expressions are much like a bug.
Watch Shows At Home
To be honest, it wasn't bad to watch plays online and it didn't destroy my mood for enjoying the play. It might be hard to fully concentrate on the show because you are sitting in front of the computer and staring at the screen instead of sitting in the theater with a dark environment that could help me sink myself into the performances. But the fun part of using digital theater is that I could easily drag the progress bar and always go back to my favourite acting, and then enjoy it several times.
More Information
Check out the IMDB page of Mirai Moriyama, the player for Gregor.