Great Apes
Originally a novel by Will Self, Great Apes is a hilarious, disturbing and dazzlingly original take on man’s place in the evolutionary chain.
When Turner Prize-winning artist Simon Dykes wakes up one morning after a wild night out, he finds his world has changed beyond recognition. His girlfriend, Sarah, has turned into a chimpanzee. And to his horror, so has everyone else. Immediately rushed to hospital, Simon is taken into the care of charismatic radical psychiatrist Zack Busner and treated for being under the psychotic delusion that he’s human.
This raucous new stage adaptation from Patrick Marmion (The Divided Laing) mixes razor-sharp language with movement and puppetry, journeying into the mystery of what it means to be a human being.
Patrick Marmion is a playwright, journalist and Associate Lecturer at the University of Kent. Previous plays include THE DIVIDED LAING (Arcola Theatre), TERMS AND CONDITIONS (White Bear), PIETA – AFTER CHEKHOV (Finborough & Print Room), OSTERLEY (Urban Scrawl), THE INSTITUTE (Etcetera). Screenplays include MUSHROOM SOUP (Sam Mendes/Renaissance Films), Kids FM (Working Title Television), MAID MARION (Channel Four Films), ARCHIE TANNER & THE DODO (Children’s Film & Television Foundation) and THE DEAD GUY (based on novel of same title).
Will Self is an English novelist, journalist, political commentator and television personality. He is the author of ten novels, five collections of shorter fiction, three novellas, and five collections of non-fiction writing.