Nordic Cool 2013: Vesturport, Iceland: Metamorphosis

Vesturport, Iceland: Metamorphosis at the Kennedy Center is amazing, second only to Evil Dead: The Musical in the annals of awesome shows I’ve seen in DC. Part of the Kennedy Center’s Nordic Cool 2013 program, Metamorphosis runs for only one more day (just three days of the production in D.C.!) But if you live nearby, this is the Friday night show to see.

Did you notice word “Icelandic” in the name? That increases the production’s awesomeness factor ten-fold as evidenced by the inspired, two-level staging of the play. The upper floor seemed to appear, in part, from above and not from the side. Such an orientation meant that when the transformed Gregor sat on his bed, the audience saw the top of his head. I’m the kind of person who gets dizzy when I run a video game character alongside a cliff, so I kept both hands on my chair arms to steady myself. Metamorphosis is the best time I’ve had at a theater since the red Koolaid drenching (compliments of Ash) at the DC Arts Center.