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On Saturday we had to go to the theatre the second time this week as the final show of Corpus Delicti was on and we managed to miss all the earlier ones.
The piece is based on a 2009 book by Juli Zeh on a dystopia featuring a health-focued regime in the mid 21st century. Its subjects have to live healthy and prove their health in regular screenings. They are punished for transgressions like cigarettes or missing their screening. In the piece Mia Holl, a successful scientist, starts missing her screenings because her brother killed himself. He did so in prison after being convicted for raping and killing a girl. A deed, which Mia is sure he didn’t commit. The judge at first understands Mia’s situation and is willing to let her ‘get away’ with a small fine. But her lawyers recommends fighting it on the grounds of her difficult situation. By doing that she triggers the rage of the system whose ‘method’ she is seen to criticise. As such regimes go, you won’t get away with doubting or criticising their ‘methods’, so Mia is in for trouble and ends up finding herself in prison. It turns out her lawyer is quite keen on working against the system and she seemed a good opportunity to do so, while she is rational and agrees with his points.
The way they put the piece on stage was rather cool with plain and efficient decorations as well as light. The future high-tech aspect was given by a screen projecting the ‘facts’ about the people on stage and in court. This was done very neatly by projecting from behind.
Mia’s home was at the very front of the stage. And it was filled with a centimetre or so of water, thus distinguishing it from the rest of the stage and making people wet when going there (in most situations visitors actually put on those little plastic bag shoes people wear in operating theatres when visiting Mia’s place). Special kudos go to the main actress who did a great job in putting her role on stage.