Kafka ’24 / Karel František Tománek

A play based on the last year of Franz Kafka’s life



Minimal form, short effective dialogues, long silent parts, no distractions, highest emphasis placed on acting. It might not be everyone’s cup of tea but it definitely has left a lasting impression on me. The play depicts the last year of Kafka’s life very well, primarily his relationship to women. Furthermore it shows the contrast between his friend Max's lifestyle and that of his own.
David Novotný has proved his quality again; however, Lenka Krobotová’s performance was even more remarkable. Václav Neužil and Barbora Poláková met my expectations too. Overall impression is enhanced by a nice music accompaniment.
Jan Pařízek, i-divadlo.cz

From my point of view, both heart and mind are moved most by the relationship between Brod and Kafka which is timeless, unmistakable and indicates the strength of Kafka’s writing. Friendship is love, love is writing, writing is Kafka. That is what the performance in Dejvické divadlo is mainly about.
Marie Zdeňková, Divadelní noviny

Slow tempo and poetic theatre-form about the journey towards death remind us of other Dejvické divadlo’s plays: Jiří Havelka’s Wanted Welzl and to a certain extent Miroslav Krobot’s Brian. At the same time, it follows a sequence of scenes that is typical of the director Jan Mikulášek: the characters take their places, say a few lines; a musical break, lights off and a new scene begins. Which goes hand in hand with Karel František Tománek’s minimal screenplay. Mikulášek brings in some visual ideas from time to time, without being overly extravagant. Yet surprisingly a lot of space is given to the actors who – as is usually the case in Dejvické divadlo – create clearly defined, finely constructed and varied characters while avoiding any inappropriate comic or ironical shifts. That holds particularly for David Novotný in the title role (his subtle wondering, shyly questioning expression is – strangely enough – not far from the Winnie-the-Pooh role in Brian), although Lenka Krobotová does her job too in her devoted, feminine, submissive role, guiding Kafka tirelessly and firmly towards the end.
Vladimír Mikulka, nadivadlo.blogspot.cz