by Alex Gordon
This weekend, the Theatre, Film and Television Department presented two third-year assessed productions; Steven Berkoff's Metamorphosis and The Trial (after Franz Kafka), taking place in the Black Box Theatre.
The Trial tells the story of Joseph K., an 'everyman', who wakes up on the morning of his thirtieth birthday to discover that he is under arrest and is to be put on trial. He has no idea who has accused him, what he has been accused of, or even what authority is conducting the trial.
Not having read or seen any Berkoff before, and with a preference for plays grounded in reality, I was initially somewhat apprehensive. There is never any real sense of time or place in the play, and the performance styles are a radical departure from naturalism, with exaggerated and nightmarish caricatures. In simple terms, you could say that, at first, I just didn't 'get it.'
As the play progressed though, I put my inhibitions to one side, and found myself enjoying a compelling, blackly funny, and, at times, disturbing piece of theatre. I came to appreciate more the complexity of its dark, deeply political themes, and the heightened style of performance that it demands of the actors.
Ryan Lane did an excellent job of guiding us through this strange world as the protagonist Joseph K. His increasing desperation allowed us both to empathize with his situation and see how the creeping influence of madness is never far away. However, he is by no means the 'star' of this production, as what came across more than anything, is that this was truly an ensemble effort.
This was demonstrated to great effect by the use of a chorus, made up of Ellie McAlpine, Grace Calder, Miriam Gilkes, Sarah Lewis and Samuel Williams, who portrayed a whole host of characters, as well as parts of the set. Particular mention must go to Williams for his un-matched, slightly intimidating charisma as the court painter Titorelli, whose Italian flamboyance and bulging eyes soon had the audience in hysterics.
Strong performances were also seen across the board. Tom Holmes was both pompous and senile as K.'s ageing lawyer Huld, creating many comic moments. Ela Gaworzewska as his nurse Leni was unsettling in her sly, seductive manner - she also has eyes in her hands. She is sexually attracted to 'accused' men, demonstrated in her memorable reply to Huld asking what she thinks of his new client as she cries out at the point of orgasm, 'I - hardly - know him!'
Joel Brooks' distraught, hysterical characterization as Block - another accused man whose case is 'going badly' - provided some of the most tragic and frightening moments in the play. In contrast, Michael Middleton's straight-forward delivery as the Inspector and the Priest was sufficiently sinister in reminding us of this seemingly omnipresent judiciary.
It is clear that a great deal of attention has been given to making the ensemble strong as a cohesive whole under the direction of Rebecca Murphy. This was exemplified by some very precisely choreographed movements - Tom Holmes flinging the bodies of his colleagues to the floor comes to mind - to emphasize moments of heightened drama.
The Black Box itself was used to good effect. A bare scaffold structure (designed by Sashika Sullivan) creates an intentionally non-specific setting. Aided with simple but effective use of lighting by Willl Edwards, this space can change in the blink of an eye from the claustrophobia of K's banking firm to an eerily silent Cathedral. There were times though, when the stage felt too bare in what was used to illustrate the mise-en-scene. Puritans on the power of the audience's imagination will undoubtedly disagree with me on that one.
However, the costume and make-up by Sarah Lewis effectively served to mark out K. from the rest of the ensemble - in the form of a Nineteen Eighty Four-esque set of pyjamas - while other characters dressed in an assortment of tattered garbs and suits, with skeletal-like faces.
I still have my reservations about the play, for it has some inherent flaws in its structure. Consequently, Berkoff's adaptation of Kafka's novel is rife with unanswered questions (yes, you can argue that is the point, but give me a moment), under-developed characters and unexplored sub-plots. Despite its lack of continuity between scenes, which can be jarring at times, the pace was generally handled very well in this production, and I cannot recall a moment where the actors lost engagement with the audience.
This production was not only exciting and disturbing (in a good way) to behold, but approaching professional in its standard. It was clear that this watertight cast were not only functioning as one body, but they had lived and breathed the theatre they were to perform in for the past eight weeks of rehearsal. And what a pay-off.
