Luton’s Hat Factory host theatre adaptation of famous Kafka novella Metamorphosis

A new theatre adaptation of a famous novella is coming to Luton this March.

Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka has been updated ‘for the modern world’ by Mild Peril Theatre, which is performing at Luton’s Hat Factory on March 1 at 7.30pm, and March 2 at 2.30pm.

Director Simon Spearing said: “Franz Kafka was an ordinary guy who felt that he just didn’t fit in, and much of his writing tries to make sense of his struggles to find a place in the world.

“With the Metamorphosis, I started by reading as many copies of the book as I could find. I’ve been a fan for many years, but as it was originally written in German, each translation takes something slightly different from the original text."

He added: “The story is really about somebody who works hard, does their best, but feels alienated and alone because of the structures they have to deal with every day.

"It has a brilliantly dark sense of humour, and the main character ends up feeling so worthless that he actually changes his physical form into something more suitable: an insect. But it’s not just about him, it’s about how the people around him change in response to what happens, showing that there is a way to change the world around us so that we can find our way through it.”

Mild Peril’s adaptation looks at ‘government structures, schools, healthcare, social media’, and more.

Simon said: “The most important part of the story is about how we can actually look out for each other, and it is only after he changes that the people around him start to realise this. The story shows that the world will rumble on, and we are all often so busy that even if somebody close to us might be in difficulty, it is too easy for us to miss.

"I would like to think that somebody might see this story and think, ‘I haven’t seen my neighbour/friend/relative for a while, I wonder how they are doing?’ Then perhaps they might check in on that person, maybe take time for a chat, or a cup of tea, and make that connection.”

Visit the Culture Trust website to book tickets.