Coetzee's award-winning work to be staged in Shanghai
The Tony Award-winning Handspring Puppet Company's "Life & Times of Michael K" will be performed in Shanghai from May 10 to 12.
"The Life & Times of Michael K" was written and directed by award-winning South African director Lara Foot. It is based on JM Coetzee's Booker Prize-winning novel of the same name.
It follows Cape Town gardener Michael K, a cleft lip man who spent his childhood in institutions. Michael tries to take his ailing mother to her rural home during the 1970s–80s civil war in apartheid-era South Africa.
Through the difficult trip, he discovers strength in humanity, a deep connection to the earth, and his own unique path.
The play centers on Michael K, a man with a cleft lip.
Lara Foot has collaborated with the Baster Theater Center, Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus, and Handspring Puppet Company to bring the novel to life with puppetry, performance, film, and evocative music. The company's latest hit was "War Horse."
The nine actors and puppets are in tandem as they breathe, nod, and cough on the stage to ensure a realistic experience.When questioned about why she chose to depict Michael K and his mother as puppets, Foot explained that she did so to illustrate the work's philosophy and underlying meaning.
Nine actors will perform with the puppets.
The nonverbal expression of puppets allows audiences to focus more on the emotions of the characters. The use of puppets also gives Michael K a more frail appearance. The puppet's skeleton body expresses the mental and living state of the character.
The performance is in English with Chinese subtitles. Modern Drama Valley, the city's annual theatrical spectacle in Jing'an District, also recommends the show.
The "silent" puppets give audiences more time to focus on the feelings of the characters.
Performance info:
Dates: May 10-12, 2:30pm/7:30pm
Tickets: 100-500 yuan
Venue: Yunfeng Theater 云峰剧院
Address: 1700 Beijing Rd W. 北京西路1700号
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