Wiener Festwochen 2019: Penelope Sleeps

»Someone must have slandered Josef K.«
The Trial tells the story of an ordinary person who is suddenly threatened by an ominous authority. Krystian Lupa, one of Poland’s leading directors, has long wanted to stage this work – not least because of the strong analogies to Poland since the Law and Justice party assumed power. Rehearsals began in Wrocław in 2016, but had to be abandoned under a pro-regime artistic director. It was not until autumn 2017 that censorship could be circumvented with the help of Polish and European theatres and rehearsals resumed. Theatregoers in Vienna now have the rare opportunity to see Lupa’s work. Proces is acted with precision and makes subtle use of video projections, adhering sometimes more and sometimes less closely to the original Kafka. Lupa is not afraid to expose absurdities as he explores both the depths of the human psyche and the current situation in Poland. The offstage murmuring voice, which belongs to the artist himself, intensifies the atmospheric denity. A vortex-like production in which every detail is charged with meaning – great, highly political art.