Starring Howard Rosenstein; Adapted and Directed by Guy Sprung
Performed over 100 times to critical acclaim, Kafka’s Ape is one of Infinithéâtre’s most successful plays, seen in Montreal, Toronto, New York, Stratford, Edinburgh and Tokyo… and now Beijing!
Excerpt from the original performance: Kafka’s Ape; brief interview with actor Howard Rosenstein: bit.ly/2CF4qWs
Montreal, August 2019–Local independent theatre company Infinithéâtre is proudly taking its critically acclaimed Kafka’s Ape on tour once again, this time to Beijing, China. Powerhouse Howard Rosenstein is riveting in adaptor/director Guy Sprung’s captivating play. This mesmerizing production plays September 3-6 at the Qinglan Theatre in central Beijing.
“I deliberately don’t use the word ‘freedom’. ‘Freedom’ is a powerfully seductive word which your so-called civilized world uses very cleverly, very effectively, to entrap and occupy whole continents.” – Redpeter
Based on Franz Kafka’s short story “A Report for an Academy” (1917) and adapted by Sprung from the original German, Kafka’s Ape upends the notion of civilization and what it means to be human in a world of routinized inhumanity. “The relevance of the play’s anti-war themes, negative portrayal of mercenary militarism and war-for-profit has a strong resonance for Chinese audiences,” said Sprung. The show is an unnerving satire on ‘otherness’ and the compounding growth of private military companies. Fueled by bloodlust and alcohol, Rosenstein stars as keynote speaker and primate, Mr. Redpeter, in a theatrical tour de force. This classic tale of freedom, power and alienation is more current than ever. For more information on Kafka’s Ape in Beijing: www.infinitheatre.com/plays.php?play=40
Infinithéâtre’s mission is to develop, produce and broker new Québec theatre that is as entertaining as it is relevant, beginning with the belief that live theatre is an essential part of society’s democratic discourse and that great theatre speaks to and about its own community.
Kafka’s Ape on tour is generously supported by: Season sponsors CN and Hydro-Québec; Beijing tour sponsored by LRDG Language Research Development Group, the Canada Council for the Arts, CALQ, and Muse Entertainment.
