Scottish Opera: The Trial
Scottish Opera’s production of The Trial promises to be memorable at the very least. This adaptation of Franz Kafka’s modernist classic boasts a collaboration between renowned composer Philip Glass, and Oscar-winning writer and playwright Christopher Hampton. The stark moral assault of Kafka’s story, combined with Glass’s revolutionary yet accessible style, ensure that The Trial is a safe bet for longstanding opera fans and newcomers alike.
Michael McCarthy's production follows the misfortunes of Josef K, a young man who is suddenly arrested and put on trial with no explanation ever being given. This sinister tale is staged with expert precision: a subtle but intensely claustrophobic set, combined with exaggerated clownishness from the performers, fully conveys the absurd nightmare of Josef’s situation.
The unfolding horror is underplayed, allowing the elements of dark comedy to take on a heightened significance. Glass’s compelling score, meanwhile, lends touches of cinematic gravity to the performance without detracting from its disorientating qualities, and this more than makes up for the meandering pace of the words themselves.
The impact of the production is appropriately alienating – Josef K is, after all, a character that speaks to our Post-Truth nightmares, and leading actor Nicholas Lester does not miss the opportunity to dramatize contemporary anxiety around the shattering of our liberal illusions. The opera’s abrupt ending delivers a blow to the core of our belief in a fair and rational world, and the audience response is unsurprisingly lacklustre. We are left feeling dissatisfied, confused, betrayed – but this might just be the whole point.
Theatre Royal, Glasgow, run ended; Festival Theatre, Edinburgh, 3-4 Feb