Kafka: Metamorphosis (Royal Opera House)

Gregor Samsa: Edward Watson Grete samsa: Laura Day Mrs samsa: Nina Goldman Mr samsa: Anton Skrzypiciel Maid/coffee lady/dream figure/bearded man: Bettina Carpi Director: Dmitri Tcherniakov Conductor: Marc Albrecht Choreography/Director: Arthur Pita Music: Frank Moon Designs: Simon Daw Recorded live at the The Royal Opera House, March 2013 Arthur Pita’s adaptation of Franz Kafka’s 1915 novella had its premiere at the Royal Opera House’s Linbury Studio Theatre in 2011. The role of Gregor Samsa was created for Royal Ballet Principal Edward Watson, and draws on his extraordinary technical abilities. The unusual and absurd story is conveyed through startling choreography -- an intelligent presentation of the pressures and yearnings of the young Kafka. Frank Moon’s score and Simon Daw’s stark, white designs create a claustrophobic atmosphere, while the horror of Gregor’s physical alteration is evoked by black fluid that smears the stage. Although Gregor’s mother and father struggle to come to terms with his transformation, his younger sister, Grete, is more sympathetic. However, her feelings change and she undergoes her own metamorphosis as she moves from childhood to adulthood. The Metamorphosis won a South Bank Sky Arts Award and Edward Watson won the Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Dance for his role. Available on DVD and Blu-ray through Opus Arte From February 2014