Metamorphosis

When the publicity material for a play hails the story as “one of the most widely read and influential works of twentieth-century fiction”, expectations are naturally high.

That’s the challenge taken on by students at the University Of Johannesburg in the decision to present Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka.

The tale is an absurdist piece about a young salesman under huge pressure to support his parents and sister, who cracks one night and turns into a wriggling, hideous beetle. Kafka used the novella to examine our feelings of inadequacy, guilt, conformity and isolation, and to show how love can endure or can crack when it’s tested too far beyond society’s norms.

The UJ production is taking place in the Arts Centre Theatre, which will prove a large auditorium to fill with a play so far off the beaten track.

The action unfolds in the centre of the stage around a clever set where a giant chair is turned up and down to create different spaces. Its legs and base are perfect for the acrobatic antics of Gregor (William Harding) who turns from mortal into beetle without the aid of any costume or props. His legs and arms, his expressions, squeaks and jittery yet fluid movements all let us see the insect inside as he dangles from below the leg or skitters around the base.

Harding handles the role brilliantly, whether he’s speaking as the depressed and downtrodden salesman or making us feel pity for the ugly, isolated being he becomes. His tone and actions combine to earn our sympathy, as well as our admiration for his strength and agility.

Director Alby Michaels has gone big on the absurdist side, with exaggerated, clownish movements by the rest of the family emphasising the incongruity of ordinary life when everything has turned other-worldly. The timing is perfect as mother, father and sister eat and drink in unison, and Craig Morris as the father is particularly good with his buffoonish bluster and big-man swagger. He chides and criticises his children simply out of spite, or from his own deep-seated inadequacies, and Morris captures that confident façade over the inadequate reality perfectly.

Ameera Patel is also impressive, bringing a nice physicality to the role of the sister. Khutjo Green as the mother starts out a touch too shrill to hear all her words, but she settles down to deliver a nicely rounded set of motherly emotions.

Jack Mabokachaba as the lodger doesn’t have a lot to do, but he carries it off well. The sound effects were occasionally over-loud, however, sometimes drowning out the speech.
Students from 10 different UJ departments have been involved in creating Metamorphosis for the set, costumes, props, sound design and some great animation. In the end most of it comes down to the five professional actors on the stage, and they do it proud.

Metamorphosis runs at UJ Arts Centre Theatre on Kingsway until Saturday July 20. Tickets here:   Photographs - Jan Potgieter