The Trial
Production: The Trial
Venue:Drama Barn
Rating: * * * *
From the very start, the audience were immersed in a disorientating world: disconcertingly blindfolded and led beyond a curtain by eerie guides. Standing isolated on the other side, unearthly music wafted through the darkness, punctuated by a scathing voice from above and the unnerving, childlike attentions of the unseen cast.
By the time the action began, the audience were just as unnerved as the protagonist Josef K (James Duckworth). As he was bombarded with conflicting explanations of his arrest, the audience were inescapably sucked into his confusion . None of the characters could be trusted, not even K himself.
Director Alexander Wright did a fantastic job of forcing the audience into the protagonist’s shoes - it was a perfect exponent of empathy. Although most of the original directions were scrapped, the production adhered rigidly to the conventions of performing Berkoff, using very few props or costume to add to the surrealism of the story.
The play’s minimalism allowed the setting and characters to change at any moment and gave the actors licence to display the range of their talents. The dystopic atmosphere relied entirely on their performances, and they delivered brilliantly.
At the end, as the audience were ushered away through a tableau of K on his knees in despair, the only disappointment was the lack of opportunity to applaud.
