FRANZ KAFKA’S “AMERIKA”

Kafka’s monumental work, “Amerika,” narrates the tale of a homeless man at the turn of the 20th century. Expelled from Europe by his parents, Karl Roßmann doesn’t find the anticipated opportunities in America; instead, he encounters social decline. Kafka’s unfinished novel is a multi-layered tapestry of myths, projections, facts, and fantasy. Roßmann’s journey unfolds within his own mind. Acclaimed actor Philipp Hochmair portrays Roßmann, seamlessly transitioning between numerous characters with virtuosity, transforming Kafka’s work into a phantasmagoria carried by a single performer.

Press reviews:

“…As if it embodied the essence of Franz Kafka and all the other unfulfilled prodigies: Moments of enchanting theatrical magic.” — Kleine Zeitung

“Philipp Hochmair is Karl Roßmann. Karl Roßmann ist Philipp Hochmair. Enveloped within a transparent enclosure, the actor skilfully re-enacts the tribulations of the first-person narrator in Franz Kafka’s novel fragment “America” – a stranger to both himself and the world. This virtuoso solo performance, featuring an actor who hails from Vienna’s Burgtheater and now graces the stage at Thalia, garnered resounding applause in the studio’s garage on Gaußstraße.” — Hamburger Abendblatt

“The America that Kafka reveals through the experiences of the 17-year-old Karl Roßmann, who was exiled by his parents as punishment, is a realm of fantasy where myths, projections and reality coalesce into a nightmarish odyssey. Philipp Hochmair embodies all these dimensions, portraying Karl while seamlessly transitioning into the roles and voices of other characters. He draws from a vast array of individuals and situations, and we watch and listen with empathy because, under the direction of Bastian Kraft, he transforms his transparent confinement into a mental predicament.” — Die Welt