Golem theatre review: witty, jittery satire of our tech devotion at Trafalgar Studios

Animation and live performance are combined to gorgeous effect in this inventively realised, charming production
Toil in the city: Shamira Turner plays Robert with perfectly judged awkwardness (Picture: Alastair Muir)
Alastair Muir
Henry Hitchings28 May 2015

The theatre company 1927 combine animation and live performance to gorgeous effect, and this show, first seen at the Young Vic, is as witty and charming as their previous work.

In a nameless city, nerdy Robert toils in a dreary office and exudes an off-putting smell of “unwashed hair and mathematics”. But all that changes when, in a twist on the classic Jewish Golem myth, he buys himself “a man made of clay who can only obey”.

This helper, who looks like a giant version of plasticine TV character Morph, attends to the unglamorous parts of life. Robert, played with perfectly judged awkwardness by Shamira Turner, is liberated and suddenly finds his career taking off. He no longer wants to jam with punk band Annie and the Underdogs. Instead he embraces random dating and dodgy outfits.

Latest theatre reviews

1/50

The story may be thin, but it’s inventively realised. Although Golem is billed as an adaptation of a 1914 novel by Gustav Meyrink, it’s more like a jittery cartoon based on excerpts from Franz Kafka. Suzanne Andrade writes and directs, while Paul Barritt takes charge of animation and design, and the technical achievement is dazzling.

The show also hits the mark as a satire about our addiction to technology. Robert becomes slavishly devoted to the Golem — and then to a leaner, meaner version that’s presented as an upgrade but depletes his sense of self. It’s ironic to address this issue through a piece so reliant on technological wizardry. But that just feels typical of 1927’s knowing playfulness.

Until May 22 (0844 871 7632)

Follow Going Out on Facebook and on Twitter @ESgoingout

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in