Kafka's Dick
Written by Alan Bennett Directed by Tom Barber
Kafka’s Dick is one of Alan Bennett’s less performed pieces, and yet it has some great one-liners and an interesting message about fame. It is especially relevant in these days of ‘celebrity’. Set in the 1980s in a Yorkshire suburban dwelling, Kafka aficionado Sydney and his wife Linda are visited by Franz Kafka and his friend Max Brod who are both long dead. Together they examine the nature of notoriety and how the small details of a person’s life can eclipse their real talent. A bizarre, indeed Kafkaesque premise for a play.
The original production featured a stellar cast including Roger Lloyd-Pack, Andrew Sachs, Alison Steadman, Geoffrey Palmer and Jim Broadbent, so the team had a lot to live up to; but they did a great job.
There were some excellent portrayals of these bizarre characters and I particularly enjoyed Steve Rouse, who had great attack and whose accent as Max Brod was consistent and convincing throughout.
Peter Buller, as Father, developed his character in a few short entries and had some of the funniest lines, delivered brilliantly.
Keith Burton, as Sydney played the geeky, boring husband with confidence. Imagine being married to someone whose main obsession is Kafka! And I couldn’t leave out the seventh member of the cast, the fast-moving tortoise, named, of course, Frank Kafka.
Hats off to Pateley Bridge Dramatic Society for choosing such a tricky play. You were rewarded with full audiences as usual. Congratulations to Director Tom Barber for some excellent staging and creative ideas. The play ends in heaven. The God costume was a highlight and this is a funny scene, but I no longer want to go to heaven if the background music is Agadoo! ‘If this is heaven, it’s going to be hell.’
