Kafka’s Monkey
Young Vic Production
Malthouse Theatre, Melbourne
3rd May, 2009
This work reminded me a lot of Brian Lipson’s Attendance in the Antechamber – a complex arrangement of physicality, voice work and character ticks with a whole truckload of text pushed through it. Doing this problematises both the text and the physicality, which creates a situation where as an audience member one is challenged, as your mind drifts between the ‘monkeyness’ of the performer Kathryn Hunter, and then slips away from the text that comes rapid and un-punctuated. And equally so the other way.
There were some interesting musings on the change between ape and human which i found interesting – what it is that you would put up with as either creature – the notions of freedom between the two. That you would come and see trapeze artists in at theatre and marvel at their so called ‘freedom’ – made all the more funny due to the fact that Red Peter was indeed an Ape and swinging by the arms is the most natural and free thing to do in the world. Indeed I saw a tan Staffy dog in the park today and never have i wanted to be such a simple and happy beast. (I guess this is ironic as the owner was just behind her carrying her leash – anyway…)
The direct address of the audience and the occasional interaction with ‘esteemed member’s of the academy’ meant that Kathryn had access to the crowd, but there was a lot of time when i felt like the contact was not deep enough. That somehow the character did not hit home enough for the care to rise up in me at the plight of him/her. I would say I felt more sympathy for Gregor in Metamorphosis (another Kafka work about transmogrification), that i saw recently at Ten Days on the Island. Was this due to the density (or volume?) of the text, for Red Peter was a likable enough character. Perhaps care is not what we are supposed to feel in Kafka’s fables – perhaps we should keep a distance, observe and critically deconstruct? (much like Brecht?)
As for Kathryn Hunter she was indeed an amazing sight – a double joint in her right arm making for queasy viewing but drawing a nice balance between human and ape. Language and physicality created together in a harmony of action, reminding us that the idea of standing and talking OR moving and silent isn’t actually natural at all – as animals we have always moved and made noise at the same time..
As for the Brian Lipson comparison – it pulled together history, dual persona, creepiness and formal complexity all in the one piece.
