Metamorphosis

Gregor Samsa wakes up each morning, quietly leaves the house to take the same train, and works to pay off the family debt.

But that world explodes one morning, when Gregor awakes to find himself changed. To those around him he is dangerous, untouchable vermin. Worse than that, he is a burden.

Metamorphosis, Franz Kafka's shocking tale of cruelty and kindness, has been a literary landmark since it was first published in 1915. Lemn Sissay's thrilling stage adaptation is a visceral and vital depiction of humans struggling within a system that crushes them under its heel. It was commissioned and first produced in 2023 by Frantic Assembly, in a co-production with Theatre Royal Plymouth, Curve, MAST Mayflower Studios and Lyric Hammersmith Theatre, and was directed by Scott Graham.

'An ingenious, nightmarish adaptation... Frantic Assembly has been rewriting the rulebook for almost three decades now; its rigorous physical exploration of emotion combined with edgy pulsing soundtracks has won an ardent following'— The Times

'Compelling... a brooding, expanded take on Kafka's immortal novella that likes to toy with our expectations'— Time Out

'Uncompromising, utterly captivating... combines the best of physical theatre with poetic language and stimulating storytelling... a sublime, intense theatrical experience'— Reviews Hub

'An urgent observation of a bloodsucking, broken system that renders people worthless if they cannot work'— WhatsOnStage

'Poetically vivid and visually mesmerising'— Broadway World

'Deliciously eerie... makes the 1915 novella speak for today'— Culture Whisper

'An ingenious, nightmarish adaptation... Frantic Assembly has been rewriting the rulebook for almost three decades now; its rigorous physical exploration of emotion combined with edgy pulsing soundtracks has won an ardent following'

'Compelling... a brooding, expanded take on Kafka's immortal novella that likes to toy with our expectations'

'Uncompromising, utterly captivating... combines the best of physical theatre with poetic language and stimulating storytelling... a sublime, intense theatrical experience'

'An urgent observation of a bloodsucking, broken system that renders people worthless if they cannot work'

'Poetically vivid and visually mesmerising'

'Deliciously eerie... makes the 1915 novella speak for today'

Franz Kafka (1883–1924) was a German-speaking Bohemian novelist and short-story writer based in Prague, who is widely regarded as one of the major figures of 20th-century literature. His best known works include the novella The Metamorphosis and novels The Trial and The Castle.Lemn Sissay OBE is a British poet, playwright, performer, broadcaster and speaker. He was the official poet of the 2012 London Olympics and the Chancellor of the University of Manchester. He won the 2019 PEN Pinter Prize, and his memoir My Name Is Why reached number one in the Sunday Times bestseller list.His adaptation of Kafka's Metamorphosis was staged by Frantic Assembly in 2023.

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