Metamorphosis

In Kafka’s “Metamorphosis,” Gregor Samsa wakes up to see that he has transformed into a bug.

Despised by society and hated by his family, he dies in loneliness.

“Samsa” literally means “I am alone” in Czech. Wu Hsing-kuo of Taiwan’s Contemporary Legend Theatre decides to present the theme in a solo performance incorporating elements from both East and West. A body trained in Peking opera contained in a Kafkian bug, he shakes the long, antenna-like feathers on his head and wears an armor-like shell on his back, narrating the loneliness specific to a modern man under familial and social pressure to survive.

Entitled Metamorphosis, this production incorporates Peking opera, multimedia, and other works by Kafka, including “The Judgment,” “Before the Law,” and his love letters. It presents strong tension between father and son, Kafka’s inhibited love for his sister and his mother. Wu Hsing-kuo enacts a woman, as the tilts he wears symbolize youth’s beauty and bondage alike. This is an adventure, an attempt to guide the audience into a peculiar Kafkian maze of the mind. Doors after doors are opened, dreams after dreams interrupted, as they enter further into Kafka’s subconscious mind and find themselves there.

The production features performance of Eastern metaphysics and impressionism, in resonance with Kafka’s surreal and spiritual stage. Live music by ten musicians creates strong tension after gradual delicate fermentation. The images coincide with the actor’s emotions, as they together evoke living memory shared with Kafka.

The sense of loss we feel is caused by our loss of faith and our original selves. Wu Hsing-kuo hopes to wake up the bug from self-abandonment, so his soul does not rot with the apple entrenched in his body. Let us send him our best wishes for his self-discovery, return to nature, and liberty!