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FRANCESBABBAGE
infinitelyremovedfromthegenerallysolitaryactivityofreading.Al-
thoughnotconventionallydramatic,theshowisnonethelessinsist-
ently,evendefiantlytheatrical,centringonabravuraperformance
byShepherd(who,ańeryearsoftouringthework,isallegedlyable
torecitetheentirenovel);itregularlyprovokesstandingovations,
andhasreceivednumerousawardsandaccolades.Anavidreader
caneasilyconsumeanovelinthecourseofaday,andtothevirtual
exclusionofallotheractivity,buttheachievementisunlikelytobe
metbyaroundofapplause.WatchingGatzcannotbe“like”read-
ingbyandforoneself,buttheproductionreflectsandcelebratesthe
kindofexperiencebookscananddoinspire:acollapseofresistance,
or“barriers”(inPoulet’sterms);asensationofdoubledexistence;
obsessiveattentionnotsolelywithnarrative,character,orstructure
oflanguage,butwiththetactilityofthetext.Notjustanyeditionof
abook:thisone.
5.
meymayshareareputationforinnovativetheatricality,butascom-
paniesComplicitéandElevatorRepairServicehaveotherwiserela-
tivelylittleincommon.meseproductions,meStreetofCrocodiles
andGatz,pursuedivergentpathsinadaptingtheliteraryworksthat
inspiredthem,yeteachproductiongivesthephysicalsubstanceof
booksadistinct,unusualand,Ihavetriedtoshow,apotentgrav-
itythatisrevealingaboutliterature,theatre,andthepleasuresand
tensionsexposedwhenoneaestheticformcollideswithanother.To
conclude,Iwillreferbrieflytoonefurtherexample.In2012,Com-
plicitéstagedaversionofMikhailBulgakov’ssprawling,multi-lay-
eredcultnovelmeMasterandMargarita(writtenbetween1928and
1940,butunpublisheduntil1967).Hereagain,thecompanychoseto
adaptatextthatisdeeplyself-referential,abookcentredontheac-
tivityofwritingandthatquestionsthedurabilityofliterature.Inthis
production,characters-andbyextension,spectators-travelacross
1930sMoscowbymeansofahugeprojectedmapthat,Schulz-like,
zoomsinandoutwiththedizzyingfacilityofGoogleEarth;later,
underthedevil’sinfluence,thecity’sbuildingsscorchanddisinte-
grateaseasilyasiftheyweremadeofnothingmoresubstantialthan
