Barrie Kosky to bring Kafka adaptation to Adelaide Festival

Australian director Barrie Kosky will bring his vaudevillian production of Franz Kafka’s novel ‘The Trial’, titled ‘K’, to the Adelaide Festival in 2027. Developed with the Berliner Ensemble and starring Kathrin Wehlisch, the production has already received positive reviews in Berlin.

Kosky’s adaptation incorporates singing and dancing, including a tap-dancing Rabbi, and utilizes German, Hebrew, and Yiddish. The production explores themes of Judaism, which Kosky notes is an attribute often overlooked in discussions of Kafka’s work. The director also commented on his experience as a Jewish artist living in Berlin, noting that Germany currently serves as one of the safest places for diaspora Jews.