The 2024 Nelson Fringe Festival is well and truly under way. As part of the rich programme of events, a Nelson theatre troupe, Piece of Work Productions, offers a fast-paced, spirited version of Franz Kafka’s The Trial.

A three-strong cast, under the playful direction of Anton Bentley, lights up the stage. There is much slipping between roles in sharing the fate of Josef K, who is portrayed with conviction by Naomi Strain.

Accused of an unnamed crime in a dystopian regime, Josef is swept along by those around him as they create a swirling, comic mass of dead ends and frustrations that hinder his quest to clear his name. [More]

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The Trial is the perfect marriage between Franz Kafka, Splendid Productions and Anton Bentley. At last year’s Nelson Fringe Festival director Anton Bentley took on Kafka’s Metamorphosis, receiving Awards for Best Ensemble, Best Local, Best Development, as well as the Spirit of the Fringe Award. And this year he’s taken on The Trial, considered to be Kafka’s most pessimistic novel, yet found the humour in the humourless.

Kafka’s novel The Trial was first published in 1925 a year after his death. Like last year’s play, The Trial was adapted by the UK’s Splendid Productions. Splendid takes old stories and spins them into new thought-provoking, theatrical, political, anti-fourth-wall versions. The aim is to raise questions, highlight contradictions in the characters, the story, society, and to provoke debate. Anton Bentley then casts and directs versatile, physical, character actors who can bring these complex characters to life.

The Trial tells the surreal story of Josef K who finds himself caught in an indifferent and incomprehensible web of bureaucracy. Josef K is an ordinary man doing ordinary work in an ordinary bank. He wakes up one ordinary morning to discover he is under arrest, but nobody seems prepared to tell him what he is accused of.

The Trial plunges the audience into a world of petty bureaucracy, inexplicable rules and legal dead-ends, following Josef K as he fights to defend himself against a law he thought was there to protect him. Written as an arbitrary nightmarish future, like The Handmaid’s Tale, it feels more contemporary than dystopian.

As we arrive, three brisk clerks begin to interrogate and ‘process’ the audience, labelling and categorising them according to an unknown and arbitrary set of criteria. We are then treated to a rousing chorus of ‘the anthem of the blissfully ignorant’ … before being plunged into a world of confusion.

The play relies heavily on the strength of the stellar cast of Naomi Strain, Michaela Sheehan and Keith Marshall and their ability to convey the depth and breadth of the emotions of the characters. Michaela and Keith were part of last year’s winning ensemble and are joined by Naomi who fits seamlessly in with the dynamic duo.

Naomi brings such strength and grit to her portrayal of Josef K, transforming from doe-eyed innocence and perplexed, trying to navigate his new world, to indignant and outraged, as he tries to fight the system, through to utter desperation and futility, as K loses hope.

Michaela and Keith deftly switch from character to character to character, throwing in hilarious sound effects and fourth wall breaks. From maid to magistrate, usher, artist, priest and more, they bring tones of ‘Allo ‘Allo, Yes Minister, Cabaret and The Muppet Show.

Taking on so many characters with all their subtle and not-so-subtle nuances is a comedy masterclass. Keith’s Information Officer that sounds uncannily like Jennifer Coolidge provides traumatic flashbacks to every frustrating automated call service centre. And Michaela’s prison chaplain is an authoritarian ringmaster-cum-puppet master who creates a compliant mob out of the audience.

One of the key benefits of a fringe festival is that it provides a platform for quirky, non-mainstream shows that may not otherwise get to perform in regional centres. Director Anton Bentley has once again brought something unique, powerful and truly memorable to Nelson audiences. His casting and ability to bring rich characters and stories to life demonstrate the power of a good story, great actors and clever direction.

Innocent people have nothing to fear – be good – we’re watching you! And you should be watching this play!

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