Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Debut of ‘Times of Michael K’
THE world premiere of Life and Times of Michael K will take place at the Baxter Theatre from June 7 until June 19.
It was commissioned to open at Theater Der Welt festival in Düsseldorf in June last year, but the festival was cancelled for the second year running, due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
It is a co-production between the Baxter, Theater der Welt Düsseldorf 2020, Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus and Les Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg. It marks the first time that Baxter director Lara Foot will be working with the Tony award-winning Basil Jones and Adrian Kohler, well-known for their hit production War Horse-fame.
The play has been adapted for the stage by Foot, in collaboration with the Handspring Puppet Company.
Life and Times of Michael K is a multi-layered production, combining puppetry, performance, film and music, to bring JM Coetzee’s Booker prize-winning novel to life.
“The life of the puppet starts in decisions made in its design, the movement range required of the figure determines what joints and movements of head and limbs will be included in the figure. All life is based on breath. Therefore our movement technique starts with discovering how this particular ‘person’ breathes.
“From breath comes all other movements, the rhythm of walking, the marking of thoughts. In the hands of a master puppet manipulator, a fully articulate personality can be given life,’’ said Kohler, from the Handspring Puppet Company.
Rehearsals started in April and have taken place with all Covid-19 protocols in place which means that things had to be done differently. This meant actors wearing masks in rehearsals, sanitising regularly and comprehensive ventilation in the rehearsal room.
Michael K is about a simple man who has a profound connection with the earth and a caring, deep relationship with his mother.
He embarks on an arduous journey through South Africa, shattered by civil war, to return his mother to the farm where she was born in Port Alfred. He finds strength in his own humanity and his connection to the earth. On his journey, his unique path and purpose is revealed to him, and he discovers his reason for living.
It is described as a hauntingly beautiful story. “The costume design is inspired by the personalities of the actors with a hint or suggestion of the characters that they portray in the production. The concept is a group of refugees, all wearing their own style of clothing, each reflecting their own personality and creativity but unified by the colour palette,” said costume designer Phyllis Midlane.
The original music score was created by the multi-award-winning artist Kyle Shepherd to complement the story on stage and in the film projection.
Seating is limited and each performance will be limited to a capacity of 250 people. Booking is through Webtickets or any Pick n Pay store.