The folklore character of Golem – a man-like creature brought to life from clay – has been the subject of countless interpretations since first appearing in early Jewish mythology. In the Marvel Universe, he was depicted as a resident of the Warsaw ghetto who fights Nazis. Jorge Luis Borges described him as being “less like man than dog, and much less than dog, but thing.” While in Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series, Golems (plural) were clay-men programmed to serve humans.
For Jo Crowley, producer of the award-winning theater group 1927, the mythical character had to be understood through a modern lens.
“We read around the Golem myth and kept coming back to artificial intelligence, cloning and robots. We personified Golem and wanted the audience to like him. We toyed with the notion of control,” she explains. “We liked the idea of a live actor and a filmed clay man as a starting point for a show.”
Her contemporary interpretation, which she brings to Beijing this month, isn’t a simple retelling or adaptation of Jewish mythology. Instead, it’s the type of multimedia extravaganza that 1927 has built its reputation on. Golem is full of style-mixing animation, music, claymation and live theater. There’s a vintage, yet otherworldly feel to the show – something of a trademark for the group.
Golem opens with the initially unremarkable tale of Robert, who works at a tech company and lives with his rebellious sister and a grandmother who can’t leave the memory of her deceased husband behind. His life changes drastically when he meets inventor Phil Syloccte and purchases the titular Golem. Scenes whizz by, propelled by music from a live band that has been written into the show.
“Robert is naive, a bit annoying and easily sucked in,” Crowley explains. “We wanted half the audience to find him really annoying and the other half to really feel for him.
“The other characters are there to reveal Robert’s changes. His gran is there to represent the older generation. His sister is the voice of resistance and his friends are the classic ‘outsider’ bunch of mates. As Robert changes, so do his relationships with everyone around him.”
This leaves the Golem character to explore more contemporary themes, which has seen the production dubbed by reviewers as “a critique of technology.” Crowley does not entirely agree with the charge, preferring to see it as a “what-if” show.
“It’s not a critique of technology itself, but of the people and powers controlling it,” she explains. “It’s about our willingness to embrace uncritically new technologies, and not to question who controls them.”
Since debuting at the Young Vic in London, the show has been well received ahead of its run at Beijing’s NCPA Theatre.
“The reception has been good. Moscow was excited. London was great. Paris, well Parisians are rather Parisian aren’t they?” Crowley laughs. “I think they liked it, since we’ve been invited back.”
And if extending Golem’s run wasn’t enough to think about, 1927 (which is named after the year of the first ‘talkie’ film) is due to return to China with another production in the coming months. An adaptation of The Magic Flute with the award-winning German theater, Komische Oper Berlin, makes its Asian debut in Shanghai in early September.
The group’s schedule is testament to the winning creative formula it has developed. Made up of Crowley, animator Paul Barritt, writer-director Suzanne Andrade, musical director Lillian Henley, associate director Esme Appleton, 1927 has a busy year ahead.
“We are working on Stravinsky's Petrushka – a ballet we are tackling in our own style – and are currently exploring how this will work with dancers and circus performers,” Crowley reveals.
“We are also working on a one-act opera by Ravel, a wonderful piece of music. And just to ensure we all have breakdowns before we're 40, we are also writing a brand new opera for the Royal Opera House. Lillian is working on a theater show about female footballers and is scoring silent films for the BFI.”
> RMB100-500; Aug 29-30, 2.30pm and 7.30pm; NCPA Theater (400 610 3721, en.damai.cn)
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