Female-led international company Collide Theatre are bringing Georg Kaiser’s The Coral to the UK for the first time in 100 years this Autumn. Part parable, part family drama, and part thriller, this Expressionist play, radical for its time, is an exploration of humankind’s infatuation with money and the power it holds over those who possess it. Kaiser’s plays ask vital questions about how we choose to lead our lives and The Coral, the first part of his didactic Gas trilogy, is no exception.
A millionaire is intent on acquiring as much wealth as possible in order to distance himself from his unhappy poverty-stricken childhood and ruthlessly exploits the poor in his efforts. When his socialist influenced children become conscious of his misdeeds, they reject him and his wealth. As a result, the millionaire desires a new identity and, with it, a new carefree past by exchanging his life for that of another man. A man whose one physical difference is a piece of coral on his suit.
Director Emily Louizou said: “Written more than 100 years ago The Coral is a stark depiction of a capitalist society rotting away. Kaiser was writing just after the end of the First World War – in a forever transformed world – presenting a prophetic vision of a society doomed to destruction. Why are we staging it today? Because our world has – to one’s despair – too many similarities with Kaiser’s world. Collide’s passion for an expressionist aesthetic and dream-like visual theatrical language provides the perfect frame for an evening full of twisted doppelgangers, nightmarish visions, and futile escapes.”
Collide Theatre is a London-based and female-led international company. Formed by director Emily Louizou in 2015, Collide’s mission is to discover hidden gems and re-invent classic texts, merging storytelling with dance, live music and a highly visual language. Since its inception, Collide has created five critically acclaimed sold-out productions in London and Manchester, and has collaborated with more than 50 artists from around the world. In 2019, Collide was named by the New Diorama Theatre as “one of the ten most promising companies to watch”. Since 2019 Collide has also been running – in conjunction with Oxford University – the ‘Young Players of Collide’ which aims to explore theatre-making as a tool for communication for students whose mother tongue is not English.
The Coral is at Finborough Theatre 4th – 29th October 2022
