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Met begins and ends with a circle. Arinze Kene standing, running or talking inside it. For its 16th-century horseman protagonist, Michael Kohlhaas, the cycle represents a world in which everything is in order. When his balance is disturbed by the theft of his two most valuable horses at the hands of a nobleman, he begins to take upon himself a plan to support this injustice, first taking his case to the courts, then the king, and finally pouring out his anger in the streets.
Based on the book by Heinrich von Kleist, Michael Kohlhaas (itself based on real events), this is a very interesting, directed by Omar Elerian, and resonates with all generations in its exploration of the spectacle and the value of speaking truth and power. It may not be temporary, or very consistent.
Kohlhaas eliminates all reasonable, legitimate anti-theft measures before taking the cudgel, only to resort to violence when the system of privileged privilege and corruption is exposed. “What country is this?” he asks in disbelief, variously being told to stop (“It’s only two horses,” says his friend) or showing forgiveness (says his wife). He is a wonderful person – rebellious, anti-hero and self-destructive, without the noise provided by Kene. The play asks difficult questions about protest: at what point does the pursuit of justice turn into a desire for revenge? Do violent protests also cause injustice? Kohlhaas is not respected at the end here, as at the beginning. These questions are left open, strongly shaken.
Matthew Herbert’s script and sound design (horror notes, booming hooves), along with Jackie Shemesh’s lighting (alternately showering, lighting or darkening the stage), bring vivid drama to the stage. Ana Inés Jabares-Pita’s designs are stunning in their artistic simplicity; the circle is a rock with ash around it. There is fire and lightning, as if the destruction of God’s order in Kohlhaas’s world is represented by meteorological chaos.
Von Kleist’s original story runs at a fast pace and in the hands of a minor player, this 90-minute show might seem boring. Kene manages it very well, managing his doubts about scissors and desperation with quiet breathing and meditation. The text, edited by Marco Baliani and Remo Rostagno, and translated by Elerian, is more visual than Von Kleist leaned, removing the details, perhaps leaving Kohlhaas’s wife, Lisbet (Lizzie here) in the shadows, but making it an intimate and psychological study. It draws on Kohlhaas’s poetic voice and the sense of God he sees in nature and animal life.
There is such an epic, exciting sense of drama and performance to it all. Yes, this is a metaphor that shows the cost of protests and riots. But it is also an interesting story told in the ancient Homeric tradition: man out of nothing, creating the whole world.
