Going Ape

Every so often, a show comes along that challenges the very fabric of theatre, asking questions of the audience, and blurring the boundaries between performance and reality. At Warwick Arts Centre this month, one such show will do just that. At the end of May, make sure you’re here to witness a remarkable theatrical event – Olivier award-winning actress Kathryn Hunter in a remarkable staging ofKafka’s Monkey, following a sell-out run at the Old Vic.

Kathryn Hunter is one of the most dynamic and intriguing actors working today. She made a name for herself on stage in a number of daring and genre-defying productions, most notably alongside physical theatre company Complicite. It was thanks to her performance in their production of Dürrenmatt’s The Visit that Hunter won the Olivier award for Best Actress in 1989. Hunter also took on other challenging roles, and was the first female actor to perform the role of Othello. Hunter is also well-known for a number of her film and television roles including the part of Arabella Figg in Harry Potter, Charmain in the TV series Rome, and a scene-stealing cameo in Mike Leigh’s All or Nothing.

Kathryn plays a lecturer reminiscing about his former life as an ape. A witty, heart-rending and ironic tale of forced assimilation into an alien culture, brutally imprisoned and desperate to escape, the ape-man reveals his rise through the ranks of the beasts to become a walking, talking, spitting, smoking, hard-drinking man of the stage.Kafka’s Monkey reminds us of how close we are to the apes, with a central performance of staggering versatility that places a startling mirror in front of a modern day audience.

Franz Kafka’s original story, A Report to an Academy, was published in 1919 and has intrigued literary critics for years. The work has at times been considered a satirical take on the assimilation of Jews into society, a debunking of the Darwinian theory of evolution and the supposed supremacy of humans, and a treatise on issues of Colonialism.

This piece has been expertly crafted for the stage by playwright Colin Teevan, and features a virtuoso performance from Kathryn Hunter in the role of Red Peter, the ape. Truly, this is a tour-de-force performance, from an actor whose physical transformation needs to be seen to be believed. Book your tickets now for the theatrical highlight of the season.

After the performance on the 30 May there will be a special post-show discussion on the theme of human attitudes towards animals. Presented by the Being Human: Medicine and the Human Sciences’ research network (IAS) and funded by the University of Warwick’s Institute of Advanced Studies, it will feature Kathryn Hunter and a panel of academics.

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For more information, press ticket and interview requests please contact Jan McQuillan, Communications Officer on: 024 7652 3804or j.mcquillan@warwick.ac.uk

Listings

Young Vic present
Kafka’s Monkey
Wed 30 May – Fri 1 June 7.30pm
Theatre £15 (£13) Under 26s £9 (+50p booking fee)
Cast: Kathryn Hunter

Quotes:

“Slowly and silently, she finds her feet and, semi-standing, begins to lope deliberately across the room, knuckles brushing the floor, arms swinging. Eventually she stops, squats on her haunches and hugs herself contentedly for a while before shuffling over to pick some imaginary bugs out of the hair of a crew member, munching on her find as a satisfied moue settles on her mischievous face.” The Independent

“A performance of staggering versatility” Michael Billington, The Guardian

“Kathryn Hunter is a truly exceptional performer.” Exeunt Theatre Magazine