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February 27, 2013 | What Did You Think?,
What did you think of METAMORPHOSIS?
Did you enjoy this daring aerial version of Kafka’s classic short story? Let us know what you thought about Metamorphosis by commenting here.
Did you enjoy this daring aerial version of Kafka’s classic short story? Let us know what you thought about Metamorphosis by commenting here.
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tickets@artsemerson.org
617.824.8400
Emerson Paramount Center
559 Washington St, Boston, MA 02111
THU-SAT: 12–6PM
SUN & MON: Closed
THU-SAT: 12PM–6PM
SUN & MON: Closed
The Paramount and Cutler Majestic Box Offices are open 2 hours prior to any event. The Cutler Majestic Box Office is open during performances only.
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A remarkable performance and innovative theatrical expression.
Yes, Metamorphosis was icky and very disturbing and very well done! My husband asked me why i went, since i knew the story was so discomforting.
I told him because i wanted to see how ArtsEmerson’s version would translate. Imaginative, harrowing, i felt for the actor who played Gregor — his acrobatic feats, especially hanging motionless at the end.
And i marvelled at the set and how the “floor” changed from a trampoline to hardwood once again.
Beautifully done.
I thoroughly enjoyed the play and thought it was particularly effective in keeping the tension going. The staging was excellent and the acting superb! The music was also very effective in creating tension.
I thought the set was wonderful! The perspective of the floor which was also the wall. It ws a disturbing work but very thought provoking. I loved the physical nature of the performance.
I thought the production was brilliant but I was very disappointed in the drqmqturgical notes because of a glaring error. Gregor is a salesman, not a factory worker. Emerson faculty should be more careful of published student work.
Just awful – I can’t believe anyone really thought this was anything but terrible. Poor quality acting (yelling?? all the time!! – odd doll-like overacting- unbalanced – amateur ) there was just nothing – no tension – no connection to the story. I have seen many plays around the world this was just awful in all respects – embarrasing. Music was OK.
Great show! Absolutely riveting!
A wonderful and innovative work of art. The cast, score, and set were all superb. I hope that Arts Emerson continues to bring us work that is cutting edge and outside the mainstream. Boston needs it!
I loved this performance.
Great actors, a very original setting.
Faithful to the Kafka story as it was translated to a visual form.
We enjoyed very much this performance.
Keep bringing this kind of theater !
I agree. I thought this was a superb adaptation of the story to the theatre. The staging was quite original and the acting outstanding.
The 3 friends I was with agreed. I thought the updating of the ‘boarder’ to include aspects of Nazi behavior was appropriate. I think Kafka would have been pleased with the production.
and, yes, thank you for bringing such innovative theater to Boston!
Fabulous, thought provoking and beautifully produced theater at its best.
Presented the story in a far more metaphorical way than required high school reading….
I thought this play, and particularly the performance of the lead actor, was extraordinary. The staging was very imaginative and the lead’s physicality was unbelievable. The whole thing was just terrific. I recommended it to two friends who also went, and they loved it too. One cried!
We are Arts Emerson members and had great seats (3rd row). After seeing Servant of Two Masters, I was very excited to see this show. I have a great love of theatre and the stage is very dear to me. Unfortunately, I have to say that OMG, this was the worst play I’ve ever seen!
I feel bad to write such a negative review, but after just 20 minutes into the piece, I asked myself, “Why am I still sitting here?” However, I had brought my 20 y/o daughter, who is also an actor (like me), and I wanted to give the director and actors a chance. I was hoping that my feelings about the show would improve. Unfortunately, I hated almost every moment! It just did not work for me. This was the first time in my life that I did not applaud at the end. I was embarrassed, and I felt so bad for the actors.
Watching Servant of Two Masters & Metamorphosis was like experiencing two ends of a bipolar. I’m sorry to say it, but I can’t agree with any of the positive reviews here.
It was impossible not to project forward from the time Kafka wrote the original to World War II; there’s a statue of Kafka in Prague that shows what appears to be a strolling man, except it’s nothing but an empty suit. Sitting on the “suit’s” shoulders, however, is Kafka himself, his right arm crooked, his finger pointing. The play and the performances were stunning and frightening.
The staging of the play was ver impressive and the actor playing Gregor exhibited strong acting talent and well as circus skills. I felt the production conveyed the spirit of Kafka’s story without being overly literal. The audience was left to read between the dialog. I feel the negative reviews came from folks who want their experience completely defined. But, if people disagree, the director has achieved something. Kudos to all who came from Iceland to bring us this show!
It was not worth the money we spent. Arial acrobatics, hardly? Poor acting and there wasn’t anything riveting about the play.
Also very disappointed at Arts Emerson with our seating. We arrived two minutes into the play due to heavy traffic. They told us we needed to wait until they were 12 minutes in, not sure why since there wasn’t to be an intermission. Then they decided to let us in anyway and made us sit in the back row, not in the seats we purchased.
Disappointing experience all around.
A powerful production. More powerful by having the human form remain, thought contorted and “ariel” There is a lot to take in: the portent of war, the denunciation of what was once your own child, the egotism of self, the degeneration of a whole family, and the degratiation of denunciation. Well acted, well staged and exceeding thought provoking. What a mockery the ending was!